


Artificial Love

by Raequaza



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Android Lance, Dark themes in later chapters, Keith and Shiro are Siblings, M/M, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-20
Updated: 2017-09-07
Packaged: 2018-09-25 19:10:19
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 15
Words: 75,956
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9840092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Raequaza/pseuds/Raequaza
Summary: 'His left hand touched something that didn’t feel even close to a garbage bag, or even food from a split bag. He slowly turned, shining the small flashlight onto the area.Human hair. His hand was on what looked like human hair. Brown in colour and shortly cut. A sense of unease washed over Keith as a million scenarios ran through his head. He was really hoping it was just a wig that had been thrown out from the salon next door. He pushed aside some trash bags slowly, in hopes to find anything than what he was really expecting.'An android was the last thing Keith Kogane ever expected to find while taking out the garbage at his work.Now, Keith was determined to find out where this android came from, who threw him out, and why this android seemed so...human.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo after I finished my entire outline of Metamorphosis, my brain decided to throw other fic ideas at me. This one in particular really stuck so I figured that was a sign to start writing away.
> 
> I haven't dropped Metamorphosis and I will update it as well as update this one. I'm going to try to take turns...but if inspiration hits me....  
> Chapters for this will also be a lot shorter than Metamorphosis, so theoretically it will take less time.
> 
> There are basically no android fics in this fandom, which is a damn shame. So I just had to add another. Go check out Spare Parts by milkdromedas (sebasent) if you haven't already. It's really good, and has android Lance!
> 
> Thank you as always for my wonderful beta, callmesinpai. She's the reason I'm in this fandom, and helps kick my ass in gear when I need to get chapters out XD
> 
> Hope you all enjoy!

“Hey Kogane! Make sure you take the garbage out before you leave tonight!” A portly chef yelled into the back room. “Max said you’ve been leavin’ it for the morning crew.”

“You got it Sal…” The young dishwasher responded.

Keith Kogane was working yet another long, unforgiving evening dish shift at Sal’s Diner; a family restaurant that was situated just before you entered the bad part of town. Despite it’s less than stellar location, it was a fairly busy diner. To Keith that mean that the cooks were almost always yelling for something, and the servers would bring piles upon piles of dishes back into the dish pit to be washed. Keith was a decent dishwasher, and could usually keep up with the pace, but Friday nights were always brutal and Sal never believed in having a part time helping in the pit on busy nights.

This wasn’t Keith’s first choice of job, but it was the job he had been doing for four years now. When he first started working at Sal’s at the age of eighteen, it was only supposed to be his part time job while he went to Altea University. Now he was twenty-two and had been working full time at Sal’s for over three years. He dropped out of university after his first semester due to some less than ideal circumstances with an ex and a major mistake with his scholarship. He couldn’t afford the classes on his own, so he took to working so he could still pay all his bills. Sal was mostly decent to him, paid him alright and made sure he got the hours he needed. Not may people wanted to work evenings in the area, so to Sal, Keith was a godsend since he didn’t mind staying the hour after close that was needed; which was midnight.

As soon as Keith was finished putting the last load of dishes through the machine, he went around the restaurant to make sure all the garbage had been collected and placed at the back door. Of course the line garbage was left, as per usual, and the front staff didn’t think to put the small bags in a bigger one, just tied them all up individually and left them at the back. So, Keith just added them to his mostly full garbage in the dish pit and tied them up. He had never left garbage in the restaurant in all the time he had worked there, and knew that Max was trying to get him in trouble.

Once the bags were all by the door he grabbed the keys and light hanging up by the door and carried the heavy bags out to the ally where the dumpster was located. Keith sighed as he realized that the padlock on the dumpster had broken off again. It didn’t matter how many times they kept putting one back on, in two weeks it would be gone again. It did make his job easier, but he also knew he’d have to tell Sal, and then he’d have to listen to his bitching.

He switched on the little flashlight attached to the keys so he would be able to see the prop on the inside of the bin; hoodlums liked to smash the ally lights once they noticed they got fixed, so the city stopped fixing them. As he leant forward to grab the prop, he also dropped the key and light straight into the dumpster. Keith groaned as he knew the only way to get it was to jump into the dumpster and get them. Not exactly how he wanted to end his day, but he knew he would never hear the end of it from Sal if he just left the keys in there; plus he wouldn’t be able to get back inside the building since the door keys were attached.

He fumbled for the prop in the dark to hold up the lid so he could climb in and out. Eventually he just gave up and threw the lid all the way open. It would be a pain in the ass to push closed again, but for now he didn’t give a damn. Keith just wanted to hop in, get the stupid key, hop out, throw out the garbage and then go finish up his cleaning so he could go home.

Lifting himself into the bin was child’s play, but the landing was less then comfortable. He could feel bangs squish under his feet with rotting food remnants, and the smell was far worse inside the bin than from outside. Still, Keith crouched down and started rooting around for the key. It couldn’t have just landed on top of one of the bags of course, no thanks to Keith’s terrible luck, it fell down the side near the bottom.

Keith dug down through the garbage praying that nothing sharp was sticking out from one of the bags so he didn’t slice open his arm. Finally, after what felt like twenty minutes, Keith got a grip on the offending light. He moved to get up, stepping backwards as he did, which caused him to slip and fall on his ass. He figured going into the dumpster at all was going to be the worst thing that happened to him that day; but he had clearly been mistaken.

He lay there for a few moments, since it couldn’t get any worse from there, staring up into the darkness above him of the other half of the lid. He slowly got up, putting his hands behind him to gain purchase. His left hand touched something that didn’t feel even close to a garbage bag, or even food from a split bag. He slowly turned, shining the small flashlight onto the area.

Human hair. His hand was on what looked like human hair. Brown in colour and shortly cut. A sense of unease washed over Keith as a million scenarios ran through his head. He was really hoping it was just a wig that had been thrown out from the salon next door. He pushed aside some trash bags slowly, in hopes to find anything than what he was really expecting.

Keith scrambled back in shock when he uncovered exactly what he had been dreading. The hair was attached to a body; a human man who was laying broken looking inside the dumpster. This screamed murder, possibly from one of the gangs in town. Or even a mugging gone wrong perhaps. All he knew was there was a dead body laying in the dumpster behind his work and he needed to get out of there and call the police.

Something stopped him though, a metallic glint on the body that his light caught. He sucked in a deep breath and moved in closer to examine what his light was shining on in the midst of plastic bags. If anything, it could be evidence or some kind of hint of what happened to this young man. He brushed aside a few more bags, trying not to touch the corpse, until he revealed about half his body.

Wires, ripped and twisted, were sticking out from behind the body. He crawled around the other side as much as he could and took a closer look. Sure enough, there were wired sticking out from the back of this corpse. Which Keith supposed, wasn’t exactly a body at all. He tentatively put a hand out and touched the wires protruding out. It was clear that what he had found was not a body, but an android of sorts; A highly-advanced android at that. While he knew that androids existed, he had personally never heard of anything looking this life-like before.

He had to wonder who on Earth would throw out something so technologically advanced, even if it was broken. Surely the person who created it could fix it. The fact that this android was buried in the trash- and half inside a garbage bag that was tied around the waste-didn’t sit right with him. He didn’t want to let it go to the dump and get crushed like some piece of junk.

Keith grabbed the droid and pulled it up. It was a lot lighter than Keith had been expecting, but certainly had some weight behind it. Hefting the android out of the dumpster and gently on the ground was another feat. Keith was eternally thankful that the cameras in the back ally were all just dummy cameras, or else this would be incredibly hard to explain. He hopped out beside the android and moved it behind the dumpster. There wasn’t much space back there, but he hardly thought that a broken android would complain much. He placed a few of the less gross bags over top just in case and pushed the lid closed on the dumpster.

Of course Sal was just coming to look for him just as he stepped back inside the restaurant. “What, you take a break while you were out there or somethin’?”

“No, sir. Dropped the key inside the dumpster and it took some time to fish it out. Sorry.”

Sal huffed. “Well don’t do that shit again. Keys don’t grow on trees.”

“Got it, Sal. I’ll finish up and be out of your hair. Lock is gone again too.” Keith waited patiently for Sal’s rant.

He didn’t have to wait long. Sal tended to go on long rants about how no one had any respect for businesses around here, and how was he supposed to run a business when he kept having to change locks and get new keys constantly. Keith cleaned the dish area as Sal ranted; who didn’t care in the slightest that Keith wasn’t giving him his undivided attention. Keith figured it had something to do with Sal preferring that he was earning his wages than just standing around.

Once he was finished how ever, he stood and listened to the end of Sal’s rant. “-I don’t even think the city knows how much work it is to get graffiti off the glass and brick. Ya start a small business and ya pay your taxes, and what thanks do you get?! Lax police presence and ‘I’m sorry’. Like sorry ever did anything!”

Sal continued his muttering into his office to finish up what he needed to do for the day. Keith was free to change in the change room and finally grab his phone. Sal had a strict rule about having your phone on your person at any time unless you were on break. If he caught you, and he watched the cameras, there would be write ups or dismissals. Keith called the only person he knew that had a car, and that would be his half-brother Shiro.

The phone rang four times before Shiro answered. “…Do you have any idea what time it is?”

“It’s twelve o’five in the morning.” Keith responded, deadpan.

Shiro groaned. “You do know I have to be up in like four hours right? This better be important.”

“It is, kind of. I need you to come get me from work.”

“Keith…it’s late. Are you in danger or something? Because if you’re not…” Shiro’s voice sounded muffled, like he was buried under his pillow; which knowing his brother he probably was.

“Look, you wouldn’t even believe me if I told you. Just, please. It’s important. I will make it up to you any way you want me to after.” Keith pleaded.

There was silence, then some shuffling, and then another groan. “Fine, fine. But you owe me big time.”

“Thank you, Shiro. And one last request…when you get here, back into the ally and pop your trunk open for me.”

“What? Keith…why do you even-”

“You’ll see when you get here. Just, try and be quick if you can please.” Keith asked.

 

Twenty minutes later, and Shiro’s black SUV was backing into the ally where Keith was waiting. He waived slowly as Shiro came towards him. His brother looked exhausted and annoyed, dressed in baggy sweats and a hoodie. “Keith, seriously, this had better be good.”

“It is! I swear,” Keith promised. “Now help me out, it’s heavy.”

Shiro grumbled as he followed Keith behind the dumpster. Shiro drew in a breath sharply once he saw what Keith was hiding under the garbage bags. “Keith…I know I said I’d always help you out no matter what…but…this may be a little much…”

Keith snorted. “It’s not a body, Shiro. It’s an android.”

“An…android?”

“Yeah, I found him in the dumpster,” Keith shrugged. “Now I’m just going to throw these bags away and then we can haul this guy into the SUV.”

Shiro sighed but helped Keith out by holding open the lid for the dumpster with his good hand; he never liked using his artificial arm for much outside of work. Together they went behind the dumpster and picked up the droid. Keith could lift him by himself if he really tried, but the droid was taller than Keith was and that made it awkward. Plus, Shiro co-owned and operated a gym, so he was pretty well built. He mostly taught jiu-jitsu classes while he was at work, along with some of the paperwork. He did have a partner named Thace, who took care of most of paperwork and finances so Shiro was free to teach classes.

Once the bags were in, they carried the droid into the back of Shiro’s SUV. Shiro wrinkled his nose. “You are paying to have my carpets cleaned. This droid reeks of garbage…and so do you.”

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll take care of it,” Keith said as they closed the hatch. “Thank you, Takashi. You’re the best brother a guy could ask for.”

Shiro was weak to his first name, as well as being praised by his younger brother. The combo of the two was his kryptonite. Keith did this for two reasons. One, because he meant it; and because it would spare him a lecture on the ride to his apartment.

After they were both buckled in, Shiro drove towards Keith’s apartment. “So…how did you find him in the garbage? Surely he wasn’t just laying there out in the open.”

“Long story short, I dropped the keys into the bin and when I crawled in to get them, I found him as well.”

Shiro was silent for a while, processing. “Why do you think he got thrown out?”

Keith shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he was defective. Or the owner got tired of having him around.”

“I can’t imagine anyone getting tired of an android like that. He’s got to be super high-tech. I never saw anything even close when I was in the military. Even the classified droids didn’t look like this.”

“Classified?” Keith laughed. “Are you sure you should be telling a civilian about that?”

“You are my brother, and I know you won’t say anything. Besides, it’s not like they’re always listening.”

“How do you know. Could have planted a bug in this nice car of yours.” Keith teased.

“Oh, trust me, I’ve had it swept. It’s safe.” They both laughed at that as they pulled into the back of Keith’s apartment building. “So, any thought to how you’re going to sneak an android into your forth floor apartment with no fire escape?”

“Save the lecture about my death trap apartment. We’ll just take the back stairs. If anyone is up this early, they aren’t using the stairs.”

Shiro sighed, but hopped out of his vehicle and popped his trunk. Together he and Keith got the droid and lugged it into the apartment. After struggling with the door, Shiro had Keith let the droid go. Shiro dropped down and pulled the droid into a fireman carry. Keith huffed. “I can help you know. That door was just stuck.”

“I know you can. This is just easier. Now let’s go.” Shiro said as he made his way up the stairs. I’m crashing here by the way.”

“Sure thing. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

Keith and Shiro trudged up to the forth floor, trying to keep as quite as they could so no one would be disturbed by them and come looking to see what the racket was. Keith slipped in front of Shiro so he could open both the door to the landing, and unlock his apartment. Shiro slipped inside and Keith silently closed the door behind them.

It there was a feeling of relief as soon as the door was shut and locked. Neither of them would know what to say to anyone if they had been caught. How does one explain why two men are lugging what looks to be a body with wires frayed at the back up the stairs of an apartment building at nearly one in the morning.

Shiro gently dropped the android beside the couch and stretched. “Okay, brotherly duties done for the next few days. I am gonna crash, since I have to be up in like three hours. Night Keith.”

“What, you’re not gonna stay up and help me clean this guy up?”

“Nope. That bag may have thankfully stayed tied around his waist. But I do not want to see if he really is build anatomically correct like the rest of him is.” Shiro waved as he walked into Keith’s room and closed the door.

Keith stuck his tongue out, like the mature adult he was, as soon as Shiro shut the door. Keith turned back to the droid with a sigh. “Well, best get you as clean as I can.”

He got up and wandered into his kitchen to grab cleaning supplied. He figured that he couldn’t just throw a robot into the shower and scrub away, so the disinfectant wipes would have to do. Keith went back to the droid and dropped to his knees, popping open the lid to the wipes.

He carefully wiped down the droid from his hair to his waist, back to front, leaving no section untouched. The bleach in the wipes would at least help with the smell of the dumpster; although he couldn’t be sure if he was just smelling himself or not.

It came time to take the bag off the android’s waist. And Keith prayed that the droid looked like a doll under the bag. As he untied the bag and slid it down, he saw that he wasn’t so lucky; which he should have been expecting given the day. Whoever had designed this droid left nothing out. Keith flushed as he began to tentatively wipe down the rest of the droid. He almost felt bad as he cleaned the droid’s very realistic penis, and in between the crack of it’s ass. He had no idea why on Earth _anyone_ would give an android a hole of any kind aside from a mouth, let alone a penis.

Keith was quick with his work in the groin area and moved down each of the android’s legs. He marveled at how seamless-save for the open panel in the back- that the droid was. Someone had to have taken a lot of care and put a lot of attention to detail into the design. “You must have been modeled after someone....”

As soon as the cleaning was finished, Keith ran into the issue of clothing the droid. He could just leave him exposed, just to spite Shiro in the morning when he woke up, but thought against it. The android wouldn’t fit into his own clothes, he was too broad in the shoulders and taller in the legs. Keith pondered the situation for a while until he remembered that his ex had left some clothes at his place, and they might fit, if not be a little loose in the top.

Keith went into the hall closet and dug through the box of his ex’s things that he had been too lazy to throw out. He was sort of thankful he hadn’t now. There was a pair of black jeans and a grey band t-shirt. There was also a pair of black boxers tucked way at the bottom, which Keith still wasn’t sure if they were his or his ex’s. Taking the items, he walked back to the droid and began to dress the android carefully; as he didn’t want to damage it any further.

After he was done with the android, he headed into his bathroom for a quick shower to wash all the grime off himself. The shower felt fantastic and washed away the terrible feeling of still being in the garbage bin. As soon as he was finished with his shower and dry, he slipped into his room silently and snagged a pair of boxers from his drawer. He liked to sleep in a little more normally, but he didn’t want to risk waking Shiro.

Once he was at least mostly dressed, he turned off his lights and settled onto the couch. There were so many questions about the android running through his head, but he knew that none of them would be answered in that moment. He closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright actually new chapter! Sorry if anyone got a notification saying there was an update when there wasn't one. I'm the genius who posts chapter 8 of an entirely different fic. Whoooops.
> 
> So here is the actual chapter! 
> 
> Thanks to my beta, callmesinpai, for editing and putting up with my general whining. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Keith awoke in the morning to a stiff neck and feeling a lot warmer than he had when he went to sleep. Groggily, he glanced down and started at the blanket that he knew he hadn’t had over him when he went to sleep. He was still hazy from sleep and unable to remember how he might have gotten a blanket or why he was sleeping on the couch in the first place. Sitting up, he stretched and got up.

He nearly tripped over the legs of the android he had almost forgotten about as he headed to his kitchen. It took a moment to recollect his memories of the night before. “Huh, guess it wasn’t a dream.”

Keith looked at the clock to see it was eight in the morning, and well past the time his brother-who was definitely the reason behind the blankets, since the android hadn’t magically started working-would have gotten up and gone to work. There was a short note pinned up on his fridge. It read,

‘You need to go grocery shopping. You cannot live on cereal and instant noodles your whole life.

Love, Shiro

P.S. You should call Pidge about the android. She might be able to fix it.’

Keith rolled his eyes at the beginning of the note; it was so like Shiro to call him out for almost never having proper food in his house. His theory was that he almost never ate at home since he really didn’t know how to cook very well, so there was no point in letting food go to waste. Shiro never saw it that way and constantly lectured him about living like a broke college kid-even though he didn’t classify as one anymore. Keith wished he had been awake to retort that he did in fact have some chicken of sorts in the freezer and a few carrots; which absolutely classified as real food.

However, the bottom half of the note, which was probably the real reason behind the note in the first place, was a really great idea. Keith questioned himself why he hadn’t just had Shiro take the android to Pidge last in the first place since she would have been up. He grabbed his cell phone and called Pidge.

It rang five times before she picked up. “Keith…have you ever wanted a screwdriver in your eye socket?”

“No…”

“Clearly you must, otherwise you wouldn’t have called me _at eight in the morning_!!” She snapped.

Keith winced at her volume. He really should have known better than to call her any time before one in the afternoon. She worked in the evenings as the repair person at her brother’s electronics shop. “Sorry…I wasn’t thinking of the time, it was just kind of important.”

There was a small pause. “Is it about Matt?”

Her brother Matt had gone missing around four years ago; just after Keith had started working at Sal’s. There had been no note, no sign of foul play. He was at his shop one moment, and then he was just gone the next. The family had never stopped searching for any sign of him, but nothing had come up in four years. At this point, Keith knew that they thought Matt was dead, but they would never stop searching until they had proof.

Pidge had taken her brother’s place as the repair tech at her brother’s shop. Their uncle ran the front of the store and took care of all the books, and Pidge was mostly free to search the net for any hint of where her brother might have disappeared to. “No…sorry, Pidge. I wish it was though.”

“If its not about my brother, it’s not that important. Goodnight.”

“Wait!” Keith pleaded before she hung up. “I found something last night I need you to fix.”

“…you called me two hours after I went to sleep…because you need a _repair_ _job_?!” Pidge snarled. “You must really have a death wish, Kogane!”

“Look, it’s not something I can just bring to you, okay? You have to come to my place…but I _promise_ it will be totally worth it. I guarantee it’s something you have _never_ seen before.”

Pidge groaned into the receiver. “I am going back to sleep for at least three more hours. After that, I will come over to your place. But if this doesn’t wow me, I’m going to charge you for this repair and every previous repair I’ve done for you since we’ve been friends.”

“Deal. I swear this won’t disappoint.” Keith promised.

She grumbled some more before she hung up on him. Keith set his phone down and looked back at the droid. He kind of felt silly for putting a shirt on a robot, but he just didn’t feel right having a topless anatomically correct android in his house. It felt wrong in a way he just couldn’t describe.

Keith had about four hours to kill, since he knew it would take about half an hour for Pidge to really get up, and then another half and hour to get herself over to Keith’s apartment. They didn’t live very far apart, only four blocks, but Pidge liked to take her sweet time. So, while he waited, Keith grabbed a bowl of cereal and flipped on the television. One of his favorite legend hunter shows was playing a re-run of their attempt to find some elusive Canadian lake monster, and while Keith had seen the episode before, it didn’t defer his attention any.

There was a marathon of the older show, and Keith was unsurprised to find that it ate up enough time that Pidge was already banging on his front door. He turned off the television and made his way to open the door. As he did, he dodged the gut punch he knew she would throw. She hadn’t changed since they were kids, and while it never really hurt much, he didn’t want to just let her get one in. “Morning, Pidge.”

She muttered profanities under her breath and she pushed her way into his apartment like she owned the place. Keith didn’t mind, and closed the door behind her. “So, where’s this thing you need me to fix.”

Keith smiled. “In the living room, beside my couch.”

He lingered back and waited to hear Pidge’s startled gasp before he strode back into his living room; huge grin on his face. Pidge was standing still right before the android, clearly shocked. “Keith…what the hell is that?”

“That,” Keith said, slipping around her to stand behind the droid. “is why I called you at eight in the morning.”

Pidge adjusted her glasses. “Look, I know I’m your best friend and all…but I’m not like a necromancer or anything. I don’t bring life to dead humans. Nor can I help hide bodies…that’s up Shiro’s ally.”

Keith snorted and turned the bot around. He slipped the shirt off to show the broken wires from the back. “I know. That’s why I called my _mechanical_ repair woman.”

He watched as all the puzzle pieces clicked into place in her mind. She all but squealed in delight as she realized what exactly Keith had. Pidge rushed over and dropped to her knees as she examined the android’s frayed wires. “Oh my god, Keeeiiiith!! Where did you find him? How long have you had him? Was he like this when you found him, or was it your fault?!”

“Found him last night, all wrecked like that so no it wasn’t me, and I found him in the trash behind my work. Called Shiro to come help me lug him here, and then I called you once I woke up.”

Pidge frowned. “You should have called me before Shiro.”

“Sorry. The next time I find a super advanced android, I will make sure to call you first.” Keith promised, with a small hint of teasing his voice.

“Super advanced is an understatement. I can’t even begin to describe how insane having a droid like this is. I have never seen or heard _whispers_ of anything like this guy. He looks so life like its actually kind of creepy.” Pidge said, examining a few of the wires that were sticking out.

“I know what you mean…and it’s not just what you see. Everything about him is life like,” Pidge raised and eyebrow at him and Keith flushed; he could tell from the look on her face that she completely understood what he meant. “But, the real question is, can you fix him?”

Pidge looked back at the frayed wires and into the panel itself. “I think so? Really kind of hard to tell since I’ve never dealt with anything this advanced before.”

She got up and grabbed her toolkit that she had dropped on the ground. Keith knew better than to ask if she wanted any help and stepped out of the way. He sat himself down at his kitchen island to watch her work as she got herself set up. She laid the droid down on the ground for easier access and got to it.

Keith didn’t know much about any form of mechanics, but it was always interesting to watch his friend work. She had always been mechanically inclined, just like her brother had been. Matt had been a level of his own, but Pidge had always followed close behind her brother. The siblings had a five-year age difference between them, but they were closer than any siblings that Keith had ever encountered.

Pidge hummed to herself as she worked; a habit that Keith had always known her to have if she was in a good mood. It used to make him nervous when she brought out her welding equipment, but he knew that she had everything under control and wouldn’t set his apartment on fire.

It took her a little over two hours straight to finally turn off her equipment and pull the droid back up into a sitting position. “Alright, should be in working order as soon as I find a way to turn him on.”

Keith moved from his position on the kitchen and crouched in front of the android. “Any ideas?”

“Mm, no. It’s not where I would assume it would be,” She snorted. “I just hope its not inside a certain _area_ that I’d rather not put my fingers into. That’s more _your_ thing.”

Keith rolled his eyes. “This isn’t one of your animes, Pidge.”

Pidge stuck out her tongue and got back to looking for an on switch. “Come on…turn on!”

There was a hum, and then twitchy movements coming from the android. Pidge removed her hands from the inside of the android and closed the panel. The panel itself seemed to disappear once it was closed; only leaving behind one very small line on the left side of his back. Keith let out a laugh. “So it was voice activated?”

“No, I found the switch up towards his head. It was hard to reach.”

“Pidge, you are an absolute genius.” Keith remarked, watching as the droid was slowly coming back on.

Pidge moved to sit beside Keith and wait until the android opened his eyes. It took about ten minutes before the android lifted his head and opened his eyes. Keith was taken aback by the stunning blue of the android’s eyes. They were the least human thing that could be seen from the outside about the android, but Keith was entranced by them. Even with the mechanical glow they had, Keith didn’t find them cold.

The android blinked his big blue eyes and slowly looked around his surroundings. When he turned back towards Keith and Pidge, he stared at them for a long time. There was a loud, shrill whine that caused both the humans to wince. They watched as the droid’s eyes wavered and he curled in on himself; hiding his face in his knees and wrapping his arms around this legs. The android’s body started to shake and the whine continued.

“Is…is he crying?” Keith asked, stunned by the droid’s actions.

Pidge’s face was screwed up from having to listen to the loud whine. “I guess so?”

The android continued to shake and whine for a while. Both Keith and Pidge had to move away a but after a while due to how much shriller the whine was at close range. Once the whine calmed down, Keith slowly made his way back to right in front of the android.

“Hey…it’s alright. You’re safe here.” The android slowly lifted his head enough just to barely look at Keith. “I’m Keith. I found you and brought you to my house. My friend here, Pidge, fixed you up.”

The android turned and blinked owlishly at Pidge, who gave was grinning from ear to ear at the droid. “I’m soooo happy I got to fix you up!” She gushed.  “Like Keith said, my name is Pidge. Do you speak? Can you tell us your name?”

The android opened his mouth, but all that came out was some mechanical groaning, static, and a slight whine. He closed his mouth and frowned. He tried again, but the results were the same. After the second attempt, he curled back in on himself; hiding his face from them. Keith and Pidge exchanged looks before moving closer. Pidge placed a hand on the bot’s shoulder. “It’s okay if you can’t talk. Maybe you just have a broken voice box. I didn’t see one in your main system. Do you know where it is?”

It took a few moments, but the android nodded and raised his head up to look at them once more. He brought a hand up to behind his right ear and pressed a small, virtually unnoticeable button. A panel from the bottom of the android’s jaw, all the way to the base of his neck popped open. Pidge gushed about the seamlessness of the android; there was really no way to tell that there had been a panel there at all when she had been looking at him the first time.

“Can you lay down on your back for me? It’s easier to work that way.” Pidge asked.

The android nodded and did as was asked of him. Pidge moved around to look down as his vocal box. Keith moved to stand near the top of the android’s head so he could get a better look at what Pidge was doing and not be in her light. The android wasn’t taking his artificial eyes off Keith, and it was making him a little nervous. He wondered why the android could be staring at him; was it just because Keith is the one who fished him out of the dumpster?

Pidge made a small displeased sound. “It’s not possible for me to _fix_ this. But I can replace it. Thankfully whoever built the android used a pretty basic sound box that most AI systems use. It’ll be a little pricey, but if you don’t mind chipping in for half, I can get it easily.”

“I don’t mind. I suppose he’s my responsibility anyway. Do you want me to pay for all of it?”

Pidge snorted. “Nah, cause then I can say I half paid to fix him and then I can poke around him some more and you can’t stop me~!”

Keith rolled his eyes. “How soon can you get the part?”

“Oh, probably early tomorrow. I can get certain things usually within twenty-four hours of ordering it from one of my regular places,” Pidge closed the panel and stood up. She began to pack away her things as she continued to speak. “I’m gonna go and sleep some more. When I wake up, I’m going to do some digging about where this android was made. Something this high tech must have a purpose. And if he does have a purpose, why was he thrown out?”

Keith shrugged. “Do you think you could find who owned him too?”

“I might be able to, but I’m not holding my breath. I will let you know when I find something out.” Pidge was frowning as she spoke. She put on a bright face when she turned to the android. “I’ll be replacing your voice box tomorrow, so for now just hang in there. This guy will take care of you.”

The android nodded and looked back at Keith with a small nervous smile. Keith smiled back softly, to show that he wasn’t a threat. Pidge still looked a little perturbed as she headed towards the door. “I’ll be right back, I just need to talk to Pidge quick.”

Keith didn’t wait to see a response from the droid before power walking towards his friend. “Pidge hang on.”

She stopped at the door and turned to face him. Keith gave her a look that Pidge had seen many times before; one that said ‘What is wrong? Talk to me’. Pidge leaned against the wall beside the door. “I hope I don’t find his previous owner…”

“Why?” It didn’t make sense to Keith. Even if the previous owner didn’t want the droid anymore, they could still gain information on his functions from them.

Pidge sighed. “The reason his vocal box doesn’t work is because it’s been crushed.”

“How would someone crush something like that? Why would they?” Keith questioned.

“I don’t know. But it looks like someone crushed it with their foot. It seems like it’s been broken for a while, given the state of it. So, it leaves me to believe it was intentional.” Pidge noted, looking a little more than miffed at the abuse of the android.

Keith didn’t know what to say to that. Someone clearly put a lot of work into such an android, but than just threw him away because the vocal box was broken? None of it made sense. “Maybe he was taken from his owner and they did all that out of spite?”

Pidge contemplated it. “It’s possible. I will still look into any information I can about the owner for you because we’re friends, but I have a sneaking suspicion that it wasn’t someone else who did this to him.”

With that Pidge left Keith’s apartment. Keith made his way back towards the android, who was sitting in the same spot that Keith had left him.  He looked happy to see Keith return to him, and Keith settled down in front of the android. “I know you can’t talk, but…think I could ask you some questions?”

The android nodded. “Okay, first…you are completely aware that you are an android, right?”

The android gave him a skeptical look as obviously, Keith had seen him open the panel to his neck earlier. The android nodded anyway. “Right, stupid question. Um…do you have a name?”

The android seemed to think about it for a moment before shaking his head. Keith frowned. “Do you not have a name at all, or do you just not remember?”

The android held up a finger to signify the first question, and shook his head. “So, you don’t have one?” a nod. “Okay, but you had a previous owner, right?” a slow nod. “Do you remember his name?”

The android shook his head. “Do you remember what he looked like?”

A shrug, and Keith got confused. “Um, does shrug mean maybe?” a shake of the droid’s head. “Does it mean kind of?”

Keith received a nod. “Think you can tell me when you get your voice box repaired.” He received another nod. “Okay, do…do you know why you were in the garbage?”

The android shook his head sadly. Keith could tell the question upset the android; which was a wild experience since Keith had never attributed real human emotions to mechanical beings. “Last question then. Do you need anything? Like oil or something? Do I need to keep you charged?”

The android cracked a small, albeit sad, smile. He shook his head and that was that. Keith didn’t want to push too far at the moment, especially since there was only so much information that he could get out of the android without him being able to speak. Keith hoped that he would be able to give him clearer answers once they got him fixed.

Keith stood up and looked at the time. He had two hours before he had to leave for work. “Okay, so I guess that wasn’t the last question. I’m going to have to go to my job tonight. Will you be okay with staying here alone?”

The android nodded. “Okay, I’m just going to take a quick shower and get ready. Feel free to walk around if you want…you can walk right?”

Another nod, and the android got up slowly. He took a few slow experimental steps forward before beginning to wander around his surroundings. Keith had guessed it when he saw him, but now that he was walking it was easier to tell that the android was just a little taller than he was. Keith left him be, as there wasn’t much to break or get into in his apartment, and jumped into the shower.

As Keith cleaned himself, he pondered over the answers to the questions he had received from the android. It just made him more curious on what kind of person had previously owned the android. He was kind of tall, but not too tall. Gorgeous in every aspect, but not in an artificial way, save for his eyes.

There was a crash then a thud, and Keith stopped his shower immediately. He stumbled out and grabbed a towel to wrap around his waist. He looked around the living room and kitchen, but there was no sign of the android. So, he raced into his room to see what the noise had come from.

The first thing he noticed was how cold his room was; like someone had left the window open. The next thing was that the android was cowering on his knees by the bed, wide-eyed and looking right at Keith. Keith surveyed his room to find the source of the crash. There was a picture, one that had been up on his dresser, laying on his floor surrounded by glass. Keith was about to get upset that the android had broken one of his very few pictures, but then realized it still felt drafty and there was far more glass than what should be from a picture frame.

Looking at his bedroom window, all the pieces made sense. His window had been smashed, and looking around his room some more, he found a baseball laying just behind the android. Keith lived right beside a park, and while the first and second floors had bars on their window for such things, these kinds of things had happened before and the landlord was usually fairly nice about fixing things.

Keith grabbed the picture and took the photograph out of the broken frame. There was thankfully no damage to the photo itself, so Keith tucked it inside one of his drawers. The android was still shaking with his head bowed, like he was waiting for punishment. Keith felt bad and crouched to be at the droid’s level. “Hey, it’s okay. It wasn’t your fault. Things happen like this from time to time.”

The android still shrunk in on himself. Keith realized that while the android may not remember his previous owners name or much about him, but clearly the droid was used to being hit from him or her; or someone around them. This kind of reaction wasn’t something that happened after one time of abuse; there would have had to be many instances. It was still strange for Keith to see this coming from an android, but to him that didn’t make it any less horrible.

“I’m not going to hurt you. I’m not that kind of person. Even if I get mad, I might raise my voice, but I _promise_ that I will never hurt you. Okay?”

The android finally looked up, searching Keith’s face to see any hint of a lie. There was none, so he nodded and began to move to pick up the glass pieces. “You don’t have to do that with your hands. I have a broom I can sweep it up with.”

The android stopped and looked down at the glass, and back at Keith, like he was confused on why Keith had stopped him. “It’s really okay. Here, come with me please. Just leave the glass on the floor.”

The droid did as was asked and slowly followed behind Keith to the living room. Keith sat him down on the couch and turned on the television. There was still a marathon of the show he had just been watching on. “It’s safer over here. I know if my skin gets cut, it will heal. Yours…probably won’t? So, is this channel okay? I can change it to something else if you need.”

There was a nod and a shake of the head before the android settled into the couch and turned his attention to the screen. Keith put the remote beside the android. “I’ve left the remote here. Change it if you want to. I’m just going to clean all that up.”

Keith went into his room and got changed before he padded into his kitchen and got his small hand-held broom and dust pan, a plastic bag, a garbage bag, and some duct tape. He wandered back into his room and began to clean up the mess the brats in the park had made with their ball; though a small part of him was quite impressed they even managed to hit it into his window in the first place. After sweeping up the glass and placing it in the plastic bag, he taped the garbage bag over his window. It wouldn’t stop much of the cold air getting it, but it would do.

He went back into the living room to grab his cell phone off the coffee table. The android seemed to be entranced by the show, and Keith felt a small bit of joy that he wasn’t being judged for his interests in the paranormal and supernatural. He called the landlord and explained the situation. While the landlord wasn’t happy about it, he knew it wasn’t Keith’s fault. The earliest time that it could be fixed would be early afternoon the next day, which was fine with Keith.

Keith looked around his apartment and sighed. It wasn’t a disaster, but it wasn’t exactly what he would call clean. “Guess I’ll start cleaning after work…and then some tomorrow.” He mumbled to himself.

It was about time for him to leave, so he brushed his hair quickly and grabbed his things. “Alright, I’ll be back around one in the morning. Please do not leave my apartment-I don’t want the door unlocked.”

The android turned his attention to Keith and nodded his head, showing he understood. Keith still felt a little wary about leaving someone-well, _something_ he supposed-alone in his apartment. However, from what he saw, the android wouldn’t do any harm to anything he owned. There was no way that kind of reaction was fake. Keith couldn’t even imagine the droid’s fear being programmed in. There was fear, and then there was what Keith had seen.

However, Keith knew that he was probably worrying for nothing. So with that in mind, he left his apartment and headed off to work; silently praying that his apartment was still standing when he got back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot even begin to explain how _difficult_ it is not to write 'the android' all the time. Bare with me folks! Gonna be a few chapters!
> 
> Come chat to me on tumblr if you'd like. I'm Raequaza there too!
> 
> Thank you for reading!! 
> 
> Comments and Kudos always appreciated!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Back again with another chapter of this! I get really excited when I can write this. I know I should be taking time to finish Metamorphosis, but god I love writing this!
> 
> Thanks to by beta for editing this at a convention! Much love for the dedication!  
> and unfortunately....
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: NON-CON ELEMENTS
> 
> It's not super...crazy in depth, but it is there. If this isn't you cup of tea, thankfully its a super quick scene (118 words). Happens RIGHT after the italics and ends at 'Keith yelped....'. Am sorry if I've upset anyone with this scene.

Keith could barely concentrate on the droid at home while he was at work. It was slammed, and the dishes seemed never ending. Both servers and cooks were yelling, both at him and at each other, and Keith could only go so fast. Sal refused to hire a second dishwasher for busier nights, and this was the end result of it. His mind was hyper focused on work, that everything else was unimportant. There had been no time for a break, so he didn’t get a chance to eat anything either. By the end of the night he was so exhausted that any concerns he had about leaving the droid unattended in his home were pushed to the very back of his mind.

The walk home that night seemed to take longer. He would normally stop at the twenty-four-seven store if he didn’t eat at work, but he didn’t have the energy. All he wanted to do was go home and crash. At least he didn’t have work the next day so he would be able to relax a bit. Or at least as much as he could with having to go over to Pidge’s place and let her fix the android.

Keith was basically dead on his feet as he made it to his floor in his apartment building. The entire hallway smelled amazing, like someone had made something recently, and it was wafting through the halls. His stomach rumbled at the thought of a delicious home cooked meal, but he didn’t dwell on it. He had some form of protein bar in his house, so he could just eat that. The smell seemed to be stronger as he reached his door, which confused the hell out of him. Figuring it must be his neighbour from across the hall, he unlocked his door and entered his apartment.

As soon as he closed his door, he noticed that the smell had only gotten stronger. He kicked off his sneakers and headed down the hallway to his kitchen. The android was standing just beside his island, hands held in front of his body in a nervous manner. On the counter was a steaming plate of food. Food that Keith knew he sort of had, but hadn’t touched in forever. On closer inspection, he found the dish consisted of rice he had no idea he had, the carrots he knew he had in the fridge, and the chicken breast he didn’t know for sure he still had in the freezer but thought he did. “You…made this for me?”

The android nodded, smiling lightly at Keith. Keith took a seat in front of the food and was just in awe at how the android had made something so simple look and smell absolutely amazing. Ketih wasn’t the best cook around-he could make basic things-so to him, this was pretty incredible. “Thank you. You didn’t have to do all of this for me. But I really appreciate it.”

The droid just continued to smile, and stood in place; like he was waiting to be dismissed. “Um, its okay. You can go and do whatever you’d like. You don’t have to stay there.”

The android bowed and moved back into the kitchen. He started to clean up while Keith ate the delicious meal that had been made for him. He looked around his kitchen as he did and noticed it was a lot cleaner than how he left it that afternoon. Swiveling around in his seat he noticed that his entire apartment was a lot cleaner than it had been when he left. “Did…did you clean up too?”

There was a nod, and Keith didn’t know what to say. This android had not only cooked him a hot meal that was ready just before he got home, but also cleaned his entire apartment. He had planned on doing some of that himself when he got home, and the rest in the morning when he woke up, but now there was no need. It was cleaner than anything Keith would have been able to accomplish by himself in the short time he would have had, yet in ten hours, this android cleaned everything so well that his apartment looked almost brand new. “Wow, thank you so much. That takes a bit of stress off.”

The android beamed widely and bowed his head; Keith assumed that meant ‘you’re welcome’. He finished eating and watched the droid work. From the way he was moving about, Keith would almost guess that if he were a real person, the droid would be the type of person who would whistle or sing as they worked. It was endearing it its own way, and Keith kind of hoped that the droid’s program did make him sing a little as he worked; when they got his vocal box fixed that was.

As soon as Keith was finished his meal, he thanked the droid yet again for taking care of the cooking and the cleaning. Keith didn’t want to sit back and do nothing though, so he strode into the kitchen and started drying and putting away the dishes that had been cleaned. The android froze and seemed upset that Keith was there, like he was expecting to be in trouble for doing something wrong. Keith tried to give him a comforting smile. “I just want to help out. I don’t know what you’re used to, but I can’t just let someone else do all the work. I know what that feels like, and it sucks. You haven’t done anything wrong, I’m just helping.”

That seemed to relax the android, and he continued washing dishes. Keith did his part, and it took no time at all. Still, it was two in the morning and time for bed. Keith was ready to curl up under his covers and sleep. But, he wasn’t sure what the droid would do while he slept. “Do you…sleep?”

The android shrugged. “Okay…so kind of. Well, the couch is all yours if that’s fine with you?”

There was a nod and the android moved to sit himself on the couch. Keith went into his hall closet and pulled out the spare pillow and brought it back to the couch. The android looked confused at the gesture. Keith looked awkwardly at the pillow. “You probably don’t need this, huh?”

The droid shook his head. “Well, I brought it anyway, so you can use it if you want. The blanket is on the back of the couch, and you can use that too if you want.” He looked around at the area. “Do you need to be like…plugged in, or something?”

The android flashed him something of a dirty looked quickly before shaking his head. Keith grimaced. “Sorry, probably a stupid question.”

There was a shrug, and the droid took the pillow gently out of Keith’s hands, placing it on the couch. He lay down and closed his eyes. Keith stood there awkwardly for a while before speaking again. “Okay well, I’ll be in my room. The door will be open if you need anything.”

Keith padded to the front door and made sure the door was locked before turning off all the lights. He got dressed and climbed into his freezing cold bed; the lack of window was really putting a damper in his night. It didn’t take long to fall asleep though; working in the dish pit was unforgiving and physically draining. He was out like a light before he even knew it.

 

_Keith was in his bed, eyes closed, and hotter than he should be with a shattered window. The heat was intense, and moving. From his neck, slowly downwards. He was naked-when had he gotten naked? The heat was getting wetter, focused around his nipples. He arched his back upwards to the heat; it felt amazing._

_The heat moved further down, and Keith gasped at the sudden contact to the base of his shaft. His hands wound themselves in hair, silky short hair. He pulled tighter, and there was a vibration along his cock. A hum of pleasure that he only felt, but not heard._

_There was calculated movements, slow and gentle. The heat engulfed him and it was almost too much. Smooth motions and a tight feeling. It was hotter than anything he had felt prior and it was too good for words. Keith heard himself moan loudly at the contact. He didn’t want it to stop._

_He was close, so close, and couldn_ _’t help thrusting up into the heat. There was no sound of protest, no tapping on his body to make him stop, so he continued. The pleasure was building more and more, and Keith was on the brink of coming hard._

_Everything felt so real._

Keith’s eyes snapped open. He was still in his bed, but definitely not naked. At least not _completely_ naked. His boxers felt a whole lot less on his body than when he had gone to bed. The heat was still there, and it was still intense.

Keith realized that his hand was holding hair, and his heart dropped. He glanced down and took in the sight before him. The android he was laying off to the side of him, sucking him off. Mechanical eyes looked up at him, and they made eye contact. The droid’s eyes seemed hazy as he pulled back, and he smiled coyly before making a show of licking from the base to the tip.

Keith yelped and shoved the droid off of him. He scrambled to pull up his boxers and sat up, flicking on his bedside light. “What are you doing!?!”

The android scrambled off the bed, and dropped to his knees, bowing his head. Keith’s heart was racing and he took a few moments to collect himself. “I don’t know what possessed you to do that, but that wasn’t okay!”

The android didn’t dare look at him. Keith brushed his damp hair out of his face and tried to calm down. He was all kinds of flustered, and upset, about what happened. If he was being honest, the android would have been completely his type if he was a human. But taking advantage of Keith in a vulnerable state was so many levels of not alright.

Keith’s phone went off, and he grabbed it off the end table. “Hello?”

“Oh, you’re awake. Shame, was hoping to disturb you.”

“What do you want, Pidge. I’m not in the mood.” Keith eyed the android to see that he hadn’t moved even an inch from where he placed himself. He was shaking slightly.

“Jeez, crabby much? I just figured you’d want to know right away if I found out anything about that android you have.”

Keith glanced at the clock, it was five in the morning. “Yeah, I do. Sorry. Please, tell me what you found.”

He could hear the creaking of Pidge’s computer chair as she got comfortable. “Okay, first I’d like to say that this was damn near impossible. I’ve been at this for hours, and I barely found anything at all. I had to dig deep, and go to some less than pleasant websites to get the little information I was able to get.”

“And I appreciate your sacrifices. So, what did you find?” Keith didn’t want to draw this out. He just wanted to know about this mysterious android he had picked up.

“Well, like I said, not much. I didn’t find anything about who made him or who owned him. I didn’t even find like a model number or anything.”

Keith didn’t want to get snappy with his friend, but she was testing his patience. He just wanted her to get to the point. “So, what _did_ you find then?”

“A chat site…with a potential for purchases if you knew the right things to say. From what I can tell though, these androids are a few million a piece. So at least we know that whoever owned him was extremely wealthy.”

“Anything else? Or is that all?”

Pidge huffed. “Who pissed in your cornflakes this morning? Chill out, I’m getting to the good part.”

Keith sighed. “Sorry. Please, continue.”

“So what I _was_ able to get other than price was the function. Basically, they are made for servitude; and mainly the pleasure of the one who owns them.”

“What does that mean? Servitude? Like a butler or something?”

Pidge snorted. “Well in layman’s terms it means congratulations, you found yourself a sex droid. Who is also designed to be like a maid of sorts.”

Keith groaned and hit the back of his head against the wall. Suddenly, everything made a whole lot of sense. From the cleaning and cooking, down to the incident that had occurred just before Pidge had called. He almost felt bad for getting angry with the android for just following his program. Keith had probably been having the dream before the android came into his room. And being that he was designed for pleasure, it made sense that he was automatically go to help. It didn’t make it okay that he did it by any means, but Keith could at least calm down some more.

“Okay, well, thank you for your digging. I’m gonna…get ready and be over in an hour or two. So just…nap for a while?”

“You got it. You’ve still got the key, yeah?” Pidge asked, yawning through the receiver.

“Yeah, I do. See you in a bit, Pidge.” With that, Keith hung up.

He knew he had to deal with the android that was still cowering at the end of his bed. Keith slid off his bed and crouched to be closer to the android’s level. If he was towering over the droid, it could make him more nervous; like he forgot the conversation the previous day about Keith never hitting him. “Hey, so that was Pidge. We’re going to get ready and head over to her place soon.”

The android wouldn’t meet his gaze, but Keith continued talking. “She also told me you’re like…a sex android of sorts? So I guess I understand why you did what you did…but please don’t ever do that again. If I don’t consent to it, I don’t want it, okay?”

The droid nodded slowly, but still wouldn’t look up. Keith sighed. “I said I wouldn’t hurt you and I meant it. I am a little upset about the situation, but I won’t punish you for it. Sorry if it hurt you when I pushed you off.”

The android shook his head and slowly, almost shyly, looked up to meet Keith’s gaze. Keith gave a small smile to show that he wasn’t lying, and he wasn’t about to fly off in a rage. The droid slowly relaxed his posture. Keith got up slowly, so as not to startle the android and moved to get clothes out of his dresser. The android also got up, and quietly made his way out of the room. Keith gathered all his clothes and slipped into the bathroom; he had some unfinished business to take care of while he was in the shower.

 

Once dressed and ready, he and the android headed out into the crisp autumn morning. Pidge’s place was only a few blocks from Keith’s, towards the better part of town. She wasn’t in the higher end area like his brother, but it was decent enough in comparison to the area Keith lived; and miles better than the area he worked in. The android seemed to be in awe as they walked along in silence. It was almost like he hadn’t been outside before; and with that Keith now knew what he was created for, he wouldn’t all that surprised if the droid hadn’t been outside before. 

Pidge’s apartment was located right above the shop she took over. It was technically Matt’s apartment, but she moved in shortly after he disappeared so that she could work at the shop; and she didn’t have to say it, but it was also to try and be closer to her missing brother any way she could. The apartment itself wasn’t very big, but it did the trick for anyone who spent the majority of their time in the downstairs workshop like Matt or Pidge.

Keith didn’t bother going to the front of the shop, no one was there yet. Instead, he went around to the back and let himself in with a key. Pidge and Matt’s mother had become a bit over-protective after Matt’s disappearance, so to get her to agree to let Pidge live on her own in Matt’s old apartment, she gave Keith a key so he could check up on here since he lived close. While Pidge’s uncle was there five days a week, they barely saw each other and he lived in the next town over; whereas Keith could walk there in twenty minutes.

Keith ushered the android in the door before stepping inside himself and locking the door. There was a flight of stairs leading upwards, and another door which was never locked at the top of the landing. Keith and the android entered Pidge’s small apartment quietly. There wasn’t much space for being a two-bedroom apartment. The rooms were cramped, and there were wires and scraps of metal as far as they eye could see. Keith was used to this, however and wandered further into the room; not bothering to take off his shoes because he learned that lesson the hard way.

Pidge was passed out on her couch, snoring away as she slept; completely unaware of her company. Keith didn’t want to wake her just then since it was before seven in the morning and he didn’t need her awake until around eight. Instead, he got to work tidying up her kitchen. Most of the tidying was from all the take-out containers she hadn’t be assed to throw in the garbage. Some of the mess was dishes, but before Keith could touch them, the android swooped in to help; He mouthed a thank you at the droid.

Together, both of them were able to not only clean up Pidge’s kitchen and some of her living room, but also start a simple breakfast that both Keith and Pidge could eat; all without disturbing her at all. Just as the eggs had finished cooking, an alarm Pidge had set on her phone went off. She groaned and grabbed her phone to silence the offending noise. Keith snorted. “Morning, sleepy-head.”

Pidge turned to shoot a glare at him. She got up, hair an absolutely mess, and yawned loudly. “Mornin’….is that food I smell?”

“And coffee too. Just made.”

Pidge got off the couch and padded her way to the kitchen. The android had dished out food for them, and was now cleaning the pans. Pidge grabbed herself a cup of coffee and plopped herself down at the small two-person table she had tucked in the corner. Keith grabbed his own cup before joining her. Pidge was already digging in. “Thanks for the clean up.” She mumbled, food still in her mouth.

The android was already back at cleaning, taking care of all the breakfast dishes. As Keith ate his own food, he watched the android as he worked. It was still so hard to tell that he wasn’t a real human being with the way he moved. While it was methodical, it wasn’t robotic like any of the service bots that were out there today. No, what Keith saw was always all too human. If he was being honest, it both scared and intrigued him.

At eight sharp, the shrill ring of the doorbell echoed through the apartment. Pidge was up out of her seat and out the door down the stairs to the front. Keith brought their plates to the sink and cleaned them himself out of habit. The android stood off to the side, watching Keith as he worked with a sort of disappointment that Keith could only assume was related to the droid not being used to others cleaning around him.

Pidge came practically skipping into the room with a box under her arm. She strolled into the second bedroom-which had been converted to a small workshop and office for personal use by Matt. Keith could hear the crash of things being knocked off the work bench. He sighed. “Alright, we better go in there. Knowing Pidge, she’ll want to start working on you right away.”

The android nodded and together they walked into the small room. Pidge was still clearing scraps and wires off the table as they entered. The box was sitting on her old computer chair-the one thing that was actually her’s in the apartment. Keith leaned against the wall and waited for her to finish up. “How long do you think this will take?”

“Mm, I can’t say for sure. Maybe an hour, maybe more, maybe less. It depends on how complex the circuitry is.” Pidge answered as she finished removing the last of her things off the table. She turned back towards it and patted the hard wood. “Alright, come up here and we’ll fix you right up!”

The android took tentative steps forward and slowly placed himself on the wooden table. He sat there and waited for further instructions. Pidge observed him. “Hmm okay first, shirt off.”

The droid removed the shirt, folding it up and placing it on the table beside him. “Okay…wow you’re taller than I realized. So, lay on your back and open that panel for me please.”

There was a look of surprise from the droid at being asked nicely to do something. However, he did as he was asked and laid back on the table; opening the neck panel so Pidge could work. Pidge got to work without a second wasted. She carefully opened the box she received and took out the piece she had purchased. Keith just stood silently out of her way. If she wanted something from him, she would ask. Otherwise he knew better than to ask questions on what she was doing.

Pidge worked carefully, and a little slowly in comparison to other times he saw Pidge work. He’d heard her curse and mutter under her breath more times than he could count in the nearly two hours that it took to remove the droid’s old vocal box and install the new one.

When she was finally finished, she closed the panel and stood back from the table. “Okay, you can sit up now.”

The droid moved to sit up, and turned to face them. He touched his neck gingerly; as if he could tell something was different. Pidge was grinning. “I think that should work. Can you please say something?”

Keith watched as the android snapped his eyes up to Keith, as if asking his permission. Keith moved from his spot against the wall and stood near him. “It’s okay. You can say anything…and if you can’t think of something to say…maybe…my name?”

Pidge snorted and Keith huffed. The android nodded and opened his mouth. “M-Master.”

The android’s voice was slightly hollow, but almost perfectly normal. Unless you were listening close, it would be very hard to tell the difference. The tone was a bit on the higher side, but not feminine. If Keith was paying more attention, he could note a few things he really liked about hearing the droid talk. However, Keith’s face felt like it was on fire and Pidge was howling. “N-No! It’s Keith! Keeeeiiiiith.”

“Master Keith.” The android responded, confused at Keith’s reddening face.

Keith wanted to just curl up and die from embarrassment. Pidge was nearly on the floor from laughter. “Oh my god, this is the best day of my life thus far!!”

Keith groaned. “Please. None of this ‘master’ stuff. It’s just Keith.”

The artificial man cocked his head to the side. “Do you not want to be my master?”

Pidge was wheezing from the amount she was laughing, but Keith couldn’t even feel remotely sorry for her lack of oxygen. “Okay! He talks. Good work, Pidge. We’ll be on our way now, so just send me the bill.”

She couldn’t respond, just waved him off as se continued her giggle fit. Keith didn’t know why she thought it was so funny, but wasn’t going to stick around to find out. “Let’s head out. Just put your shirt on, and we’ll leave.”

The android bowed his head and put the shirt on. After, he slid off the work bench, but not before stopping where Pidge was basically on the floor. He crouched down to her level with a smile. “Thank you, Madam Pidge.”

She snorted and saluted him, still chuckling to herself as they left. Keith didn’t bother locking the door behind him; she could get up and lock it herself. He hunched in on himself as he stalked back towards his apartment. The android strolled a few paces behind Keith, still observing the area with almost child-like wonder. Keith didn’t go home right away, just ducked inside a small hole-in-the-wall coffee shop where he could talk more privately with the droid.

It was a little awkward to buy a coffee with someone that could neither eat or drink, but the barista didn’t question it. Keith steered the android to a dimly lit isolated corner where they could talk in semi-privacy. Keith plopped himself in a cushioned chair. The droid sat himself down gently, nearly daintily. Like he was programmed for social etiquette; which Keith figured was probably accurate-if he was worth a few million dollars than the droid’s owner was more than likely someone in high social standing.

Once he had taken a few sips of his coffee, he brought his full attention the the android. “So, mind if I re-ask some things. Since it will be easier to answer now that you talk.”

“Whatever you desire, master.” The droid said softly.

Keith flushed. “Okay first things first. You cannot call me master. Like, _ever_. I don’t-just don’t do it okay? Please just call me Keith. That’s all I ask.”

The droid drooped his head. “As you wish…Keith.”

Keith sighed in relief; He wouldn’t be able to handle it if the android just called him master the whole time. Keith understood that it was part of his program-or at least assumed-but it was way too much for him to handle. Keith was the master of nothing and no one, and he was perfectly happy with that.

“Okay, so…just to make sure. You don’t have a name, right?”

The android shook his head. “I do not. My previous master did not give me one. You may call me anything you would like.”

Keith looked the droid up and down. There was nothing that called to him as far as a name. Due to the droid’s skin tone, he could go for a more foreign name he supposed, but no name popped in his mind; Unless he wanted to be really stereotypical, which he did not. “Uh…let me think about it?”

“If that is was you want.” The android answered.

“R-Right okay, so…you don’t remember your master’s name…but you remember what he looks like?”

There was a slight nod. “My _previous_ master usually wore a mask when he allowed me to be with him. I only remember that he wore his hair long, and it was blond. He was taller than I am, but not by much, and he had a rather large-”

Keith coughed loudly to drown out the droid’s next words. “Okay! How about where you lived? Like the area you were in, or what the house looked like outside…or even inside?”

“I was never allowed outside, and only allowed in a small wing of manor. It could not see much through windows that I remember. I must admit it is slightly fuzzy.”

“Okay…not helpful, but that’s not your fault so don’t worry about it. What about…who made you? Do you know that?” Keith questioned, sipping his coffee slowly.

The droid shook his head. “No, but I know my creator was male…and lived in the manor I believe.”

“Alright…so…you know how to cook? Was that taught or programed?”

“Programmed…I believe. I certainly was never taught, so I have to assume it is in my programming. I can not do it, if it makes you upset.”

“No no no, I like you’re cooking. I just…was curious I guess. I like that you cook, but I’ll cook sometimes too okay? I don’t want you doing everything yourself, that’s not fair…even if it is in your program.”

That seemed to confuse the android, but he didn’t argue. “As you wish…Do you have any more questions?”

“Do…you really need nothing? Not like energy or oil or something? How do you sleep?”

“I do not need anything. I go into a power saving state…which I suppose you can consider a sleep mode.”

“How do you get power? If you don’t need anything like fuel or electricity.” The question couldn’t hurt. The droid knew about his panels, so maybe he knew other functions he had.

“Sadly, I am unsure. Perhaps ask Madam Pidge to take a look next time you see her?”

The android seemed to catch himself giving a suggestion and flinched, waiting for punishment. Keith waited patiently for the droid to realize that he was not in any danger of being harmed. Keith leaned back in his chair and took a quick look around the shop; they were still mostly alone and no one was bothering to look their way. Keith turned his attention back to the android, who still looked ready to be struck. Keith set his coffee down softly so as not to startle the other. “I think that’s a good idea. Thank you.”

The droid snapped his attention up at Keith and stared at him wide eyed for a moment, before breaking into a blinding smile. Keith felt a tug in his chest at the pure radiance that was emanating from the android. “So…do you have any questions for me? You can ask me anything…any time.”

It took a few moments before the android worked up the courage to speak freely. “Will…will you not punish me if I disobey you?”

“Nah. I might get a little grumpy. But I won’t raise a hand to you.” Keith would reiterate that until he was blue in the face, but it was worth it if the droid understood that he wasn’t an abusive person.

The android chewed his lip before asking quietly. “Not even with chains or whips?”

If Keith had any previous inclination of what kind of sexual activity that the droid was used to before, he was positive he was on the right track now. And while Keith wasn’t a prude, hearing those sorts of things from the android’s mouth caused him to feel slightly uncomfortable.  “No…I promise there won’t be _anything_ like that…ever.”

That seemed to be enough for the android. He just nodded and smiled, and that was that. Keith finished the last of his coffee before standing up. “Okay…so we’ve got some time to kill. So, let’s do some shopping.”

“I will gladly accompany you, ma-Keith.”

“Good! Because we’re mostly shopping for you.” Keith shot the android a small smile as they left. He also wanted to see the android’s reaction. It was about what Keith expected; genuine confusion and concern.

“But…I do not require anything…nor have I done much to receive a reward.”

Keith snorted. “No, I know you don’t physically need anything, and for what it’s worth I think you’ve done plenty. But, you need some more clothes. You can’t just wear the same outfit forever. So, it won’t be anything fancy or brand name, but we can pick up a few outfits at a consignment store.”

Keith wasn’t made of money, and still had bills to pay. However, he had a savings that he could dip into and that’s what he would use. It was important to Keith that the android had a few things that were his own. That way, over time, the droid may feel more comfortable and at home. He didn’t know if things would change over time, but he knew that the android would probably stick with him for a very long time. And the more Keith thought about it, the more he liked the idea. In the very short amount of time that Keith had been around the droid, he could safely say that he wanted to take care of the droid and make him see that not everyone in the world was so bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am super sorry once again if I've upset anyone about the small non-con blowjob scene. 
> 
> More Shiro coming up in the next chapter! And a bit of their shopping adventures! Slowly getting the the introduction of other characters! It will happen...in a few chapters!
> 
> As always, I can be reached at tumblr should you feel inclined (not fond that Ao3 doesn't have a messaging system) at raequaza
> 
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so now that Metamorphosis is done I can focus all my attention to Artificial Love!
> 
> ...that being said I have been notified that my later plot is a lot like something else....that I have never actually seen. SO, when that time comes, I will apologize for any similarities. (My uncle was talking about it...that's how I know). But that did kind of kill my motivation for a while. HOWEVER, that will not stop me.
> 
> As always, a huge thanks to my beta callmesinpai! 
> 
> So I do hope you can enjoy this as is!

Shopping had been an experience for both the droid, and for Keith. Usually Keith was a quick in, get what he needed, and get out. With the droid, he had to take extra time and care while they picked out clothing for him. While Keith liked the style of clothes that his ex used to wear, it didn’t suit how the droid looked. Dark colours just seemed…off on the droid. Keith had tried to ask what the android used to where, but the response he received was ‘a collar’, and that drove Keith to picking out clothes he thought would suit the droid.

What he had intended to be a quick fifteen-minute shopping trip turned into almost an hour. The droid was still in the change room, trying things on, and Keith had to assure him it was okay to do so. At least the android knew how to dress himself-which Keith took as a small blessing. The last article the droid had tried on was a white and blue long sleeve. Most of the shirts they were keeping had been some variant of blue after Keith discovered that was definitely the colour that fit the android the best.

As they were heading to the check-out, Keith nearly lost the droid. Doubling back, he found the android staring at a jacket intently. “Hey…did you want that?”

The droid jumped and ducked his head. “No, sorry. You’re already giving me so much…”

Keith grabbed the green jacket and put it in the basket. “And I already told you, you need clothes of your own. This is the first thing that you’ve looked at yourself, so I’m _definitely_ getting it for you.”*

The android seemed flustered and kept muttering how he was unworthy of such wonderful gift, and such an kind master. Keith ignored it for the most part, since he really didn’t have it in him to keep reminding the droid that he was worthy of clothing and that Keith was not his master.

It took a decent amount of money for the assortment of clothing and some shoes, but nothing that would really damage Keith’s savings any. They took the bags-that the droid insisted he carry since they were things for him-and headed to the bus. “Are we not going back to your place?”

“Nah, my landlord is still probably there. Instead, I’m taking you to properly meet my brother. He helped bring you to my place when I found you. Plus, I want to go to the gym.”

The bus ride wasn’t very long, about twenty-minutes, but it felt like a much longer time when he walked. While the bus ride was usually uneventful, Keith was watching the android’s awe of everything around him. It wasn’t quite child-like naiveté, but more genuine excitement about experiencing new things around him. It was almost amusing to watch, and certainly heartwarming-though Keith would deny that if anyone called him out on it. He couldn’t imagine why someone would keep the droid locked away from the world, and more importantly, who could possibly cause enough pain that it resulted in trauma. Keith didn’t even know that androids could get trauma, but now there was living proof in front of him.

Once they got off the bus, it was only a five-minute walk to the gym. There were a few gyms closer to where Keith lived, but he chose this one simply for the fact that his brother co-owned it, which gave him a bit of a discount on cost; although Shiro had wanted to give Keith a membership for free, but Keith insisted on paying something. He tried to go as often as he could, but if he went too often Shiro nagged him and made him leave. Normally he would have gone the prior day, but with all the things with the droid happening, he skipped it.

The gym was just as noisy as ever, and Keith slightly regretted not going to his apartment to grab his gym bag before he came. However, it wasn’t the first time he’d worked out in his street clothes and it probably wouldn’t be the last. His only real concern was what the android would do while Keith was working out. He supposed he could just sit and watch, but that seemed boring. The android was looking around the gym cautiously, like he wasn’t sure if any of the people would lash out at him randomly or not. That didn’t leave Keith with a sense of comfort about leaving him alone.

Keith hadn’t been in the building for two minutes before Shiro had found him. He had just gotten off from teaching a class, but barely looked phased. He smiled widely at the sight of the droid and came closer. “Wow, Pidge works fast.”

“Always does. Do you mind keeping him in your office for a bit? Just for a while as I work out.” Keith asked, glaring at anyone who turned their attention towards the small group.

Shiro looked Keith up and down before frowning. “And your gym bag is….?”

“Doesn’t matter. Not the first time I’ve left it.”

Shiro sighed. “I swear, you are the grossest person sometimes….But yes, I can take him to the back with me.”

The android seemed nervous and looked like he wanted nothing more than to hide behind Keith instead of going anywhere with someone else. Keith gave the droid a reassuring smile. “It’s okay. He won’t hurt you either. This is my brother, Shiro. He’s just going to keep you company while I work out, if that’s alright with you?”

There was a slow nod. “If that is what you desire.”

Keith didn’t really want him out of his sight, but at the same time, didn’t want the droid to panic while he was being left alone in the main area. And with the amount of people that were checking him out, he really didn’t feel comfortable leaving him unattended.

“I won’t take long, I promise,” Keith said, before turning his attention to his brother. “I’ll be an hour, tops. If I go any longer just come stop me.”

“You got it,” Shiro smiled and ruffled Keith’s hair-which Keith grumbled about as he stalked off to warm up. He smiled at the droid as kindly as he could muster. “Okay, so let’s head to my office. You can keep me company while I do some paperwork.”

The android bowed his head and silently followed Shiro to the office. It was small, but cozy. There was a desk, a filing cabinet, three chairs, and one plush looking couch inside. The droid stood by the door, waiting for Shiro to sit down. Shiro got to work as soon as he sat down, and only looked up when he realised that the android wasn’t sitting in one of the chairs across from his desk. “You can come sit down. You don’t have to stand. Unless you want to?”

Slowly, the droid made his way over to the couch and sat himself down. He was unsure about sitting so close to someone else, and the couch seemed far enough away. Shiro didn’t question it, just went back to his work diligently. This left the droid to look around the office. Aside from the furniture, there was a tall potted plant beside the couch, and dozens of pictures along the wall. Most noticeably were the ones where Shio was in a green uniform with a bunch of other people in the same uniform. He noted that the older pictures showed Shiro with two human arms, while the newer ones showed him with a mechanical one, and a scar across his nose.

The mechanical arm was something of a wonder to the droid, though he knew under all his faux skin he wasn’t much different. Still, he had never encountered anyone that was even part mechanical. They were either full human, or full android. Shiro glanced up and noticed his staring, which caused the droid to flinch and look at the ground. Shiro put his pen down on the papers and looked over his arm. “You can ask about my arm. It’s okay.”

The android looked up. He did want to ask, but he wasn’t sure how to ask without upsetting Keith’s brother. He still was unsure about what he was supposed to do in this room and why he had been asked to go, but he was not going to do anything that would upset his master.

Shiro waited but no questions were asked. Keith hadn’t said anything about the android-hell Shiro didn’t even know that it was operational yet-so he wasn’t sure how to go about having a discussing with him. So, to get things started, Shiro stood up from his desk and wandered over to some of the pictures the droid had been staring at. “I used to be a solider for the army, had been since I was nineteen. While I was deployed, my arm got blown off by a faulty grenade that exploded on patrol. I was one of two survivors from the whole ordeal, and the lucky one out of the two.” Shiro’s smile had left his face, and instead was replaced with a blankness that the droid had only seen in robots. “When I came back home after everything, Pidge refused to allow me to wear some non-functional prosthetic. So, with the help of her mother-who is a highly skilled surgeon- they made and attached this arm. It’s still an experimental procedure, and sometimes it shorts out, but I’m very thankful for the ability to have two functioning arms again. It was hell, in the beginning, to try and adjust to living life with only one arm; and with the only functioning arm being my non-dominate.”

The android was at least looking at Shiro now, and was paying attention to everything he said. “Does it hurt, Sir?”

“Well it hurt when I got blown off,” Shiro hurt with a forced laugh; not noticing the use of title as he was accustom to it in the military. “And it hurt after they attached it, but in general it doesn’t cause me pain. If it does its more like a small ache that will go away after a few hours,” Shiro sat down in the chair closest to the couch. It was still far enough away that it put some space in between them, but close enough that they could talk. “So, do you have a name I can call you by? My brother was rude and didn’t tell me what it was.”

“I do not have one. Master Keith has not given me one, Sir.”

Shiro blinked. “Master?”

The droid shrank in on himself. “I apologise. He does not like when I address him that way.”

“No, no I didn’t think he would,” Shiro snorted. “But okay, no name for now. I’m sure Keith will come up with something. We can’t just say ‘hey, you’ all the time.”

“You can call me anything you want. ‘You’ would be just fine, if that is what Ma-Keith desires to call me, Sir.”

Shiro frowned, crossing his arms. “Well, I doubt that would happen. Keith isn’t cruel, he’d make sure you have a proper name. It just might take him a while. Also, you don’t have to call me ‘Sir’ all the time. Makes me feel a little old.”

The droid nodded, but said nothing more. Shiro watched his mannerisms and noted that it almost seemed like the android was suffering from some form of post-traumatic stress. Like he had known nothing but abuse his whole life, and now that he wasn’t being hurt, he didn’t know how to behave. It broke Shiro’s heart, and he really felt for the droid; which he found strange but none-the-less true. Shiro still had his own post-traumatic stress residing from the accident, so he knew what it felt like for him. He wasn’t sure if the android could really feel emotions, or if he was just programmed either way.

Shiro may not know what caused the android to work this way, but what he did know was that if he ever came face to face with the person that did this, they wouldn’t be walking away unscathed. Shiro wasn’t a violent person, but he would not stand by and allow someone to get away with cruelty; even to artificially intelligent beings. “So, why don’t you tell me anything you do remember. I’m sure you’ve told Keith, but I’m interested as well. If you don’t mind.”

“I…don’t really remember much. I remember my previous master was tall with long blond hair. I remember I lived in a manor, and I was only allowed in a specific wing. I remember that I seldom wore clothing, and that I am designed for pleasure.” The droid responded.

It took Shiro a moment to let the words sink in. Once they did, his face burned red and he coughed awkwardly. “I-I see. So you are completely aware of being an android? And do you know who programmed you?”

“I know I am not human, and I know what I am programmed to do. I do not know who created me.”

Shiro would have asked more, but Keith made his way into the office, sweaty and tired looking, but a lot less stressed. “He doesn’t need twenty questions from you too, Shiro. I’m sure he’s had enough of them for a while.”

“Well, you don’t tell me anything, so I gotta figure things out somehow.” Shiro crinkled his nose at the state of Keith and got up to grab a spare towel for him.

Shiro tossed the towel at Keith’s face; who almost didn’t catch it in time. He mumbled a ‘thanks’ as he wiped the remaining sweat off his face and arms. Shiro noticed that the droid visibly perked up when Keith entered the room. Keith also paid the most amount of attention to the android when he came in the room, barely sparing Shiro a glance.

He smiled fondly. “Keith, go take a shower quickly. Your hair is disgusting and I don’t want you in my SUV when you’re that gross.”

Keith flipped Shiro off but left to take a quick shower anyway. He didn’t question why Shiro was suddenly taking him somewhere in his vehicle, but Shiro knew he also didn’t care very much either. Once Keith was safely out of the room, Shiro turned his attention to the android. “Hey, could you do me a favour?”

The android flinched and looked at Shiro with wide eyes. “I will try to service you as best as I can…Sir.”

Shiro was confused for mere moments before he remembered that the android was designed for sex. He flushed. “No, no!! Not that kind of favour!!!”

“Oh…well, then I will try to help my mas-Keith’s honorable brother in any way I can.” The android responded.

“Can you…look after Keith for me? I know this is going to sound weird, especially since you don’t really know each other well. But my brother is stubborn and bad at taking care of himself sometimes. He doesn’t listen to me-like a typical younger brother. I just want to…know that someone else is also looking out for him. Making sure he’s not pushing himself, and that he’s eating real food. Could you maybe do that for me?”

“I…Of course I will! I will always look after my master!” The droid almost seemed offended, a slight pout gracing his features.

Shiro smiled. “I’m glad to hear you will, but I’d rather you _want_ to do it. If that’s even possible…I’m not completely certain how you function…But if you can, please do it because you want to. Keith had a bad experience a few years back, and he hasn’t really let people close since. It might just be wishful thinking, but I believe he’d open up to you and let you watch out for him.”

The android sat there in a stunned silence. “I…don’t know? I’m not certain if my desire to do _anything_ for my master is just programming or not, so I can only promise that I will look after Master Keith.”

Keith walked in after that, towel around his shoulders. “You know, I don’t understand why you made me shower when my clothes are just as dirty as I was.”

Shiro shrugged. “It helps a little bit at least. Now come on, I’m done for the day and you need to go grocery shopping.”

Keith groaned. “Shiroooo! I can go grocery shopping without you.”

“I know you can, but it helps when you have a vehicle handy to bring things back to your death trap, I mean apartment. Plus this way, I can make sure you won’t just buy instant noodles.” Shiro said with a smile.

“Oh my god, I don’t just buy instant noodles! Besides, now I have someone who knows how to cook living with me.”

Shiro looked over at the droid, who had stood up and moved to be closer to Keith. “You know how to cook?”

“It’s in my programming…I guess.” The droid responded.

“Great! Then we can go shopping and pick out things that can be made into real dinners.”

Shiro was already pulling Keith along and out of the gym before Keith could even begin to respond. The android followed behind, keeping a wary eye out at the people passing them. Keith tore away from Shiro’s grip, but continued walking with him to the SUV.

They went to a near-by grocery store and spent way more than Keith ever intended. Shiro paid for half, on the condition that he could come over for dinner that night, and any other night he wanted. Not that he couldn’t cook himself, it was just nice when someone else cooked for you. He was curious to know what kind of dishes the android knew how to make and maybe he and Keith both could learn a thing or two in the kitchen.

Surprisingly, the android was a lot more relaxed about being in the grocery store than he had been all day. He even made his own suggestions of things to get for recipes he was sure he could make. Some of the dishes were things that Keith had never tried or thought to try before, but he was a little bit excited to experience new food; that did not consist of various ways to improve instant noodles.

Pidge had texted Keith the amount she wanted for the vocal box-which was probably way less than half but Keith wasn’t complaining. He got Shiro to stop by the bank on the way back to his apartment, and invited Pidge for dinner once he confirmed he had her money. If Shiro was coming for dinner, Pidge should too.

Once they reached Keith’s apartment, they went about putting away groceries. And by they, it was mostly Shiro and the android due to Shiro telling Keith to change into something that wasn’t soaked in sweat. Shiro and the droid worked in silence, but Shiro noticed the distinctive slump in posture when Keith left the room; as well as the way the android bounced back when Keith came back. It was kind of cute. Shiro was only slightly disappointed that the droid wasn’t a real human. If he had been, there may have been a chance for Keith to love again.

Pidge arrived at Keith’s apartment just as they finished putting away groceries, and the android was busy trying to decide what to cook for everyone. Pidge had barely even acknowledged the other humans in the room, just sat herself at the island and watched the android move around the kitchen. It wasn’t until Shiro touched her behind her neck with his cold metal hand that she turned to look at them. “Ah that’s freezing! What the fuck, Shiro!? I said hi, didn’t I?!”

“You did, I just wanted to make sure you were still with us.” Shiro smiled innocently, and moved to touch her neck again.

She scrunched her shoulders to cover her neck and slipped away from the island to get away from Shiro. Pidge may have only one sibling by blood, but Shiro and Keith basically counted as well. Shiro had always been like an older brother to both her and Matt when they were growing up, and that didn’t change even the slightest bit when they got older. Keith had been less so when they were kids, but quickly grew to be considered an honorary sibling to both of them when they got older.

The android had settled for something simple; spaghetti with meat sauce. Keith settled into one of the other stools at the island to observe how the droid made things. Shiro and Pidge had found themselves tucked into his couch, chatting animatedly about what Pidge did know about the android and what she was hoping to learn. Keith had noticed she brought her tools with her, but had just enough respect not to jump the android to tinker with as soon as she came in the door.

Dinner was amazing, and even thought Keith was completely aware of what they bought and what went into the dish, he had no idea that such a simple dish could taste so amazing. The android smiled brightly at the gushing compliments he received from the three as he cleaned up the mess. Keith devoured his food and helped dry and put away dishes, just as they had done previously. Shiro looked at the scene fondly; It was incredibly domestic and absolutely adorable, in its own way. Keith had always been good at helping around the house when they were younger, but he had never been witness to something as sweet as this. Normally he and Keith would goof off and play around when they did dishes, but this time was entirely different.

“Sooo, can I take another look at him?!” Pidge asked as soon as she had finished her plate.

Keith didn’t even have to look at her to know she was giving him puppy-dog eyes. He was absolutely weak to those, and she knew it. “Didn’t you get enough time with him already?”

“No! I want to see how he charges! We need to know that! And he doesn’t know, right?” She addressed the droid.

He shook his head. “I am sorry, I don’t know, Madam Pidge.”

She chuckled at the formal address. “So we should know that, right?”

Keith sighed. “Yeah, I guess. Just don’t poke around too much, okay?”

Pidge just hummed a tune to herself as she got her things ready. The android came over and sat with his back facing to her; being sure he removed his shirt for easier access. She opened the panel and began to poke around while Shiro and Keith settled into the couch to watch her. “Well, I see a power supply, but I’m not certain on how it’s charged yet….Hey, can you move your arms up and down for me please?”

The android did as she asked, careful not to hit anything or anything. She grinned widely at the small machine she had hooked up to him, and asked him to stop moving. “I’m fairly positive that he’s charged by motion.”

“So…what he just moves and then he’s charged?” Keith questioned.

“Pretty much. I’m sure that came in handy when you think about what he was designed for.” She said nonchalantly as she closed him back up.

Keith and Shiro both made awkward noises and Shiro diverted the topic. “Soooo, any thoughts on a name?”

“No…Nothing really comes to mind, you know?” Keith said with a sigh.

Pidge snorted. “What about sexbot three thousand?”

Shiro looked scandalized. “Pidge! We can’t just call him that! That’s so not appropriate.”

Pidge mumbled something about him being an old prude but he ignored it. Keith snickered under his breath. “Well, how about you Shiro? Any ideas?”

“Hm…well he looks kind of…foreign? We could give him a name that fits?”

The three humans looked over the android who was sitting on the ground still, head bowed and looking a little bit nervous at the attention. Pidge was the first to speak. “He looks Latino to me…?”

Keith and Shiro agreed. “Okay, so what about like... José or Alejandro?”

Pidge and Keith both looked at the droid and then look at each other. “No…that just doesn’t fit. Also, wow. Way to give stereotypical names there, Shiro.”

“Oh! Why don’t you give him a more Asian name? You two are both half, right? Could work.” Pidge said.

“Like what exactly?”

Pidge shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe call him like Kurogane or something. Then he’ll fit right in with a Kogane and a Shirogane.”

“No way. If the Latino names didn’t fit, there’s no way an Asian one would either.” Shiro said.

Keith groaned. “And this is why I haven’t bothered with a name! It’s so hard to pick something.”

Pidge and Shiro sat and stared at the android for a while. Shiro sighed and leaned back. “I got nothing. I don’t even think I’d know what you could call a cat that you just happened to find by chance in the garbage.”

“Actually…that’s kind of perfect.” Pidge noted.

“What, cat?” Shiro questioned.

Pidge shot him a dry look. “No. Chance. You found him by chance…and I don’t know, it just seems to be right.”

“I agree. It does actually kind of fit,” Keith said before turning to the android. “Is that okay with you? If we call you Chance?”

The android had a far off look in his eyes, like he wasn’t totally there with them and his mind was elsewhere. Keith was concerned that he was malfunctioning, but before he could say anything, the android snapped his attention back to the present smiled shyly at Keith. “I think it’s a nice name. Thank you.”

Keith smiled back. “Alright. Chance it is.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that's probably not the name most people wanted me to use, but it works! Giving him a name wasn't in my outline, but damn did I have a rough time just writing 'the android/the droid' all the time. So bare with 'Chance' for a while! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading!! Next chapter will be some backstory from Keith and his past relationship!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I know that this chapter isn't super long, but I wanted to get some backstory in. This chapter is all basically dialogue, but it's nice to have Keith's past?
> 
> Hope it doesn't bother people too much! 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNING: Homophobia, Drug Use, Abuse. (It's not super graphic or anything, just want to make sure there's a warning just in case.)
> 
> Always thanks to my beta, callmesinpai.

After the delectable, filling dinner that the newly named Chance had dished up, Shiro had to call it a night. Keith scoffed. “Shiro, it’s like eight in the evening.”

“And I have to work tomorrow. We can’t all be young and full of energy.”

Pidge groaned. “Oh my god, you’re like twenty-six! And yet, such an old man.”

Shiro just laughed and bid them all a goodnight. Once he had left, Pidge turned her attention back to the half naked droid in front of her with a gleam in her eye. The android had yet to put a shirt back on, and Keith had to admit that it was kind of distracting; he absolutely couldn’t help staring. “You can probably put your shirt back on, Chance. Pidge is done for the night.”

Pidge looked like she wanted to interject, but one sharp look from Keith made her give in. She rolled her eyes and began to pack up her things. “I guess…I would like to poke around some more at another time though. There’s just so much I’m not seeing that should be there…like a computer chip, for instance. If I could just find that…then maybe I could alter his program some.”

Keith had to admit that wasn’t a terrible idea. If she could manage to take away the part of the programming that Chance had, then everything would be perfect. He could absolutely live with an android that was not designed for sex. Not that he couldn’t live with Chance as he was now, it just made it a little awkward at times for him.

Pidge left as soon as all her things were packed up. Keith liked having company, but he also didn’t mind his space. He moved from the floor and flopped down on the couch to watch some television. He still had another day off so he could stay up and watch cheesy ghost hunter shows. Chance seemed a little unsure of where he was supposed to be, but eventually he sat down at the other end of the couch.

While Keith was thoroughly enjoying the show, it seemed that his companion was not nearly as entertained. In fact, Keith would almost say he was a little frightened. “Are you…scared of ghosts?”

Chance jolted at the sudden attention. “I…don’t know. I guess that’s what this is…?”

Keith didn’t hesitate to change the channel. He didn’t have very many programs, but he could easily switch to the cooking network. The changed seemed to visibly relax the synthetic being and Keith was relieved. It was so bizarre, and all kinds of infuriating, that the creator of such an advanced android would include fear in the programing at all. Though a fear of ghosts was really something else, and that was probably the strangest thing Keith had encountered yet.

Even though Chance had calmed down, he still seemed a little on edge. Like he wanted to talk about something, and didn’t know how to bring it up. Keith waited patiently for him to talk, but that only lasted so long; Keith wasn’t exactly a patient person. “Hey…did you have anything else you wanted to ask me? I said earlier you could ask me anything.”

Chance looked a little sheepish, like a kid with their hand caught in the cookie jar. “I was curious…about you and your brother. I think Madam Pidge mentioned you have different last names just now? I’m sorry if that is intrusive. You don’t have to answer.”

“No, no it’s okay. We do have different last names, even though we are brothers. Shiro is a nickname; His full name is Takashi Shirogane, while mine is Keith Kogane. We have the same father, but different mothers.” Keith didn’t really like dredging up the past, but he promised to tell the android anything he wanted to know, and he wasn’t one to go back on his word. “Our father was married to Shiro’s mother-whose maiden name was Shirogane. They had Shiro, and things were great…until Shiro was about three. Then our dad met my mom at a bar one night. He told her that he was charmed by her last name-which was Kogane. Told her it fit her: it means gold, in all basicness. They had a few nights together, and then my mom found out he was married and broke it off. She didn’t know at the time she was pregnant with me, and when she found out, she just couldn’t bring herself to terminate the pregnancy. But she didn’t tell me father either-so I have her last name.”

Chance had slid a little closer to Keith during his explanation. “So…how did you find Shiro, if your mother did not tell your father about you?”

“Ah well, when I was just about eight, my mom got very sick. She spent the last few months of her life tracking my father down and asking him to take care of me. She left her home on bad terms, and thus had no real family to call upon. My father accepted for whatever reason, and as soon as my mom was too sick to look after me, he came and took custody. My mom passed away shortly afterwards.” The memories of his mother’s sickly figure laying in her hospital bed still woke him up some nights. He didn’t think he would be able to forget it as long as he lived.

Chance looked interested by the story, but also didn’t seem to want to push further. Keith hadn’t talked about his past to anyone in a very long time, but with Chance, he felt okay opening up. “So, living with my father and his wife and child was exactly how Shiro and I met. Shiro was twelve at the time, and absolutely disgusted with our father. He didn’t say a word to him for…the first four months I started living there. He didn’t hate me though, which was a blessing. Shiro knew it wasn’t my fault, and he also was aware that my mother had just passed away. He took to being my older brother right away; apparently he always wanted a sibling but his mother had barely been able to have him, let alone another child.”

“His mother, not so much. She hated me, because I was a constant reminder of her husband’s infidelity. Couldn’t forgive my father either, and I think that’s what eventually drove him to leave us all to be with another women. I was about twelve at the time, and if it hadn’t been for Shiro, I would have gone straight to an orphanage. Shiro loves his mother, but he threated to just leave and never speak with her again if she ever sent me to an orphanage. Shiro is her everything, so she couldn’t have that.” Talking about his step mother always left a bad taste in his mouth, and he knew he hadn’t even gotten to the worst of it.

Chance seemed to pick up on this, and diverted the question. “How did you meet Madam Pidge?”

“Well, Pidge’s family-the Holts-were our neighbours when I moved in with Shiro. I guess they had been neighbours well before they had Shiro, and had been fairly good friends. Shiro was also like an older brother to both Pidge and her brother, Matt.”

“I did not know that Madam Pidge had a brother…she doesn’t speak of him. Are they not on good terms?” Chance questioned.

Keith sadly shook his head. “No, that’s not it. Matt has been missing for a few years now. He just…vanished. It’s still a sore spot for both my brother and Pidge, so please don’t bring it up in their presence. Matt is Shiro’s best friend, and I have actually never met siblings as close and Pidge and Matt. It hit her the hardest of all her family if I’m being honest. Enough so that she refuses to be called anything but the nickname Matt gave her when we were little. Her real name is Katie, but don’t call her that.”

Chance was saddened by the tale. “That sounds difficult. I hope he is found soon…”

Keith sighed. “I think everyone but Pidge had given up any hope of actually finding him; let alone finding him alive.”

 There was a few moments of silence, and Keith was wondering if that was all for the questions for the evening. However, Chance spoke up. “And…if you don’t mind me asking, did you and your step-mother ever get along after Shiro made sure you stayed?”

Keith laughed hollowly. “No. We still don’t get along. I haven’t spoken to her since…she told me I wasn’t allowed to visit Shiro when he was in the hospital after the war.”

“Why would she do that? She knows how much you two care for one another, yes?”

“She does, and she despises that fact. Because she is Shiro’s blood related family, she was able to bar me from seeing him until Shiro snapped.” Keith slunk down in his old beaten couch as much as he could. “See, when I was fifteen, I realized that I liked men. Shiro was totally okay with it, and that was great. But then he went off to go train in the military…and then his mother found out. I guess one of the other neighbours heard from a classmate that I was gay, and it spread around in their little gossip circle. She was furious and had me taken to counselling to get myself ‘straightened out’. Didn’t work, clearly.”

“Did…did she hurt you?”

Keith could see the pained expression on the android’s face. He forced himself to give a smile, weak as it was. The droid was the first person he told about the counselling, not even Shiro knew about it; he didn’t want Shiro to hate both his father _and_ his mother. Even if she was horrible to Keith. “Not physically. She was very verbally nasty to me, and basically made me clean everything. The only thing I didn’t do was cook, because she was worried I might try and poison her or something; not intentionally, she just knew I can’t cook well.”

“I’m sorry...you’ve been through so much.” Chance placed a cool hand over top of Keith’s.

Keith didn’t pull away, thankful for the slight affection. “Well, I probably didn’t make anything better on my end either. While she had promised Shiro that I would still be in her care as long as I was in high school, she hadn’t planned for me breaking her rules. She didn’t let me go out and hang with _anyone_ , especially other boys. So at seventeen, I started sneaking out, starting smoking casually, and one night I just didn’t come home until the morning-with hickies covering my neck, I might add. So needless to say, her promise to Shiro went right out the window and I got kicked out.”

“I couch-hopped for the first few months. Until the Holts found out and then they took me in. My step-mother was furious, but she couldn’t say anything about it. She didn’t want me in her home, and the Holts did. She wasn’t about to start a fuss against a highly regarded neurologist, and biologist that works for NASA.”

Chance smiled brightly. “And that’s why you’re so close?”

“Yeah….Pidge and I always got along, and I don’t think it’s possible to dislike Matt, but after I moved in they treated me like family. It was the first time in a long time I really had family. Matt was in college at the time, but with his help in my studies a bit, I was able to get a full ride scholarship to Altea University for a Bachelor’s degree in archaeology. I got this apartment, and got a little part time job, and my first semester was amazing.”

Keith wished that was the end of it. That he was still in college and just working at Sal’s part time to cover any additional costs. “But…then I met my ex, Caleb. He was…charming, and hotter than hell. We liked a lot of the same things. Met him at a gay bar one night, and…well I fell hard. I didn’t care that he was part of the reason I started smoking again-I had stopped once I moved in with the Holts. I didn’t care that he smoked pot, and sold. I just wanted to be with him…”

Keith knew the warning signs had been around well before things got as bad as they did. Yet, he ignored them. He still hated himself for being so blinded that he let any of it happen in the first place. “Everything was perfect…at least until I noticed he was not only selling harder drugs, but he was taking them as well-and not in small doses. I tried to get him to stop…but he wouldn’t. It eventually got to the point where he’d come over, we’d fuck, and then he’d take off with something of mine to sell if he didn’t have the extra cash. I had given him a key, and I eventually had to steal it away from him when he was stoned out of his mind on my couch.”

“It got worse from there. He got kicked from his apartment and came crying to mine. I couldn’t turn him away, since I was so sure I loved him. But then…then he tried to get me to use. When I didn’t, he got verbally abusive with me. Still, I thought I could handle it…but then he took a knife to me…and that made everything crash around me.” Keith lifted the hem of his shirt to show the android the scar on his side. “I had to be rushed to the hospital, the police got involved. Caleb was sent to prison for the drugs, and for hurting me. Unfortunately, I also got kicked out of University because of it. The whole ordeal didn’t do well for their image, and they thought since my boyfriend was a dealer, that I had been using as well. So, with no scholarship, I couldn’t go to school anymore. Thankfully, Sal let me work full time because his other dishwasher quit, and he gave me a raise. It’s been enough for my bills, and some for saving.”

Suddenly, there were arms wrapped around Keith and he was pulled into an embrace. He tensed at the gesture at first, before relaxing into the touch. It was different than a hug from a human. You could hear a human’s heart beat if they held you as closely as Chance was. With an android, all Keith could hear was a slight mechanical hum emitting from his chest; although he assumed that was considered Chance’s heart in a way.

Chance held Keith for a long while, saying nothing at all. Keith settled into the embrace. He normally wasn’t one to open up, especially with someone he barely knew, but the android was so much different that it made him feel a thousand times more comfortable in his presence; excluding the very awkward and unnerving moment they had earlier that day. “Sorry for kind of unloading that all on you. I hadn’t told anyone my whole _tragic_ backstory…ever. You’d be the first.”

“I’m honoured that you would allow me to know such personal information. Thank you, for telling me. It helps me understand you a little more now.”

Keith could tell there was sincerity in Chance’s voice. He closed his eyes and smiled. “There’s just something about you that makes me feel at ease…and usually I’m on edge around others.”

Keith, despite being relaxed with Chance, was still embarrassed about spilling all of that, so he just stayed silent. They stayed like that for longer than Keith had anticipated; he had almost fallen asleep in Chance’s embrace. It was getting late, and while Keith could usually stay up a lot later than it was, he was exhausted for once. “Hey, I’m going to get ready for bed…”

Chance removed his arms from Keith so he could move off the couch. A quick trip to the bathroom, and then he slipped into his room to get changed for the night. In the span of time he had taken, Chance had gotten his own pyjamas on. They had picked out a set or two, and Keith had to admit that silk looked really good on him.

Keith had turned off the television and all the lights except the living room one. He paused at the edge of his bedroom door, watching Chance methodically move the pillows that he didn’t even really need. “Hey…um…if you can still keep your promise from this morning…you can sleep in my bed with me…”

Keith had to admit that bringing up his past, as relieving as it sort of was, shook him in ways he didn’t even think he could explain to himself. He craved the comfort of being near Chance like they had just been on the couch, and he knew that if he went to bed alone now, he would wake up in a while from night terrors.

Chance didn’t question it, just gracefully stood up and turned off the lights to the living room before padding into Keith’s room. Keith had already curled into his bed, face red from asking someone to come sleep beside him because he would absolutely have nightmares. His lights flicked off, and the glow from the android’s eyes became even more prominent.

There was a slight dip in Keith’s mattress as Chance slid in beside him. He was close, but not as close and Keith wanted him to be. He hadn’t been with anyone in any form of physical contact with anyone since Caleb-sexual or otherwise; aside from light hugs from Shiro and Pidge. He hated to admit how much he missed the feeling of someone else being beside him, but in his own mind he couldn’t deny it.

Chance didn’t move any closer, allowing for Keith to move closer if he desired. And god did Keith desire, so he did. He rolled over and moved so he was against the android’s chest. Chance brought his arm down and held onto Keith protectively. “Goodnight, and thank you.”

“Good night, Keith. Sleep well.”

Keith closed his eyes and drifted off, listening to the soft hum coming from his companion’s chest. He knew he was getting to close too fast, but he couldn’t find himself to care in that moment. That was a problem for him to mentally deal with in the morning. For now, he was going to enjoy being held like he was important, like he was loved. And that was all he really needed at that moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, so next chapter is getting to the actual plot! Which also means other characters! It will also have a little bit of a time skip. 
> 
> Hope this was readable, even with the heavy backstory. Hope the cuddling was okay?? May seem a bit fast, but I think Keith needed it. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and to all the comments and kudos you guys give me :3


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually ended up writing this the day I posted chapter 5, but it was a little early to post another chapter, so here it is now.
> 
> This chapter is the starting of the main plot line. It's gonna be interesting! I'm fairly excited to write it, even though it does get a little dark. So keep that in mind, this story gets dark. But not for a few chapters yet!
> 
> Thanks to my beta, callmesinpai, for all her wonderful work!

Over the next two weeks, Keith adjusted his life to include Chance living with him. It wasn’t a major adjustment, and in fact, it was a better way of living then it had been. Keith went to work, but now he no longer needed to eat at the restaurant or stop by a convenience store. Chance always had a hot meal ready and waiting for him when he got home. They cleaned up together, and watched T.V or movies afterwards. Keith was able to watch his favorites, Indiana Jones, without being teased like Pidge and Shiro were prone to do. These movies were half the reason he wanted to be an archaeologist in the first place.

Keith still went to the gym, however now he brought Chance with him if Chance wanted to go. It wasn’t always, sometimes the android needed extra time to prepare dinner, and just left Keith to go alone. Keith never minded, but had to admit that he liked when Chance did go with him. He never did much more than watch, or sit in Shiro’s office if there were too many people.

Living with Chance also meant that Keith actually went out and did things on his day off, either than going to the gym; which he now didn’t do on his days off, since he had other things to do. Between grocery shopping, or just going around town and sight-seeing, Keith took Chance with him. It was heartwarming to see how excited Chance would get over such simple things like parks, or gardens. Keith took him to the zoo after a week, and he had to admit that was the best trip he’d ever been on. There was so much awe and excitement in the droid that Keith had a hard time keeping up with him. He even allowed Chance to drag him around by the wrist; which didn’t last very long since Chance realized he was being rude and pushy and apologized profusely. Keith had ended up taking his hand and asking Chance to lead the way to where he wanted to go. They got a few odd stares, as two boys holding hands usually did, but Keith didn’t care. If this helped calm Chance down some, then he was all for it.

There were things that Keith had noticed about the android that he hadn’t noticed before. Such as the way Chance would stare out the window when it rained, seemingly lost in thought. Other times when Keith came home to change just before work, he would catch Chance dancing around as he cleaned or cooked. The first time Keith came home to the android dancing, Chance had panicked and nearly sliced a finger off. Keith told him that he was allowed to have fun, in whatever manner he wanted to. And if Keith was honest with himself, he enjoyed watching Chance dance. There was something so fluid in his motions that didn’t exactly scream ‘this person isn’t human’. There was one time that Keith had come home after work and had walked in on a very provocative dance that reminded him of the gay clubs he had visited before. Chance had seemed embarrassed about being caught, but Keith said nothing about it, either than that he was really good.

Keith continued to talk with Chance about bits of his past. He assured the android that not all his childhood sucked. He told stories of what he remembered from being with his mother. It wasn’t much, but he remembered trips to the beach in the summer a lot. He also remembered a small cabin in the middle of nowhere, somewhere in a desert, but he wasn’t sure exactly where. They usually spent spring breaks there. It was small, but cozy. He remembered that his mother just liked to get away from life for a week or two a year. He vaguely remembered her telling him that, but didn’t remember if she gave him a reason.

There were also the times where he played with the Holts and Shiro. They sometimes had played space explorers, and occasionally they would dug up the backyard in search for…anything, really. In their minds it was treasure, but all they really found were some cool rocks. Keith and Shiro had been scolding by Shiro’s mother, but it had been worth it every time. Shiro was probably too old to play games like that-since he was thirteen at the time they started playing-but that never stopped him. He and Matt would always play along with Keith and Pidge, no matter the game.

Keith had been asked by Chance how Shiro had come to co-own the gym. It wasn’t a very interesting story, but Keith explained that after Shiro got his mechanical arm, he lived with Keith in his apartment until he got back on his feet. He did receive money from the government for his disability, but Shiro wasn’t the type to just sit back and not work; so he got a little part time job stocking at a grocery store. He still went to the gym to stay fit and there he met his friend, and now business partner, Ryan. Ryan had also served in the military and had been honourably discharged, but not due to an injury like Shiro; his discharge was due to completing his enlistment. They had talked it over for months before actually agreeing to save for a down payment. They got the rest from a loan from the bank, and within their first year they were able to pay back more than half their loan. They gym was well received, and had taken off quickly. Even to this day, it was one of the highest rated gyms in the city.

Keith and Chance continued to share a bed at night, despite Keith’s previous concerns about ulterior motives. He had tried to sleep alone the night after their first time sharing a bed, but was unable to sleep soundly. Keith tossed and turned all night and when he did get a little sleep, and ended up waking in a cold sweat before stumbling out into the living room to wake up the sleeping droid. Waking up Chance had been easy, and dare he say it, kind of adorable. Chance had explained that he normally was never in sleep mode at the manor, it had been frowned upon by his previous owner; he was supposed to be awake at any time in case his master needed him.

He was thankful that he didn’t have to ask Chance to go with him. One look, and the droid seemed to know what Keith had come out for. He smiled and stood up, waiting for Keith to move before following him silently into the bedroom. Since then, there hadn’t been a single night where they hadn’t slept in the same bed. It was comforting, and Keith couldn’t get enough. He always curled up close with Chance, and the android always held him gently. It was the type of affection he had always needed, and now that he was getting it, he didn’t want to let it go. That being said, in the morning, he pulled himself away from Chance and they didn’t speak a word about it.

Pidge occasionally tinkered with Chance every once in a while, but got no further in finding out anything more than what they already knew. She had gotten fairly upset, but still continued to poke about. She also wanted to try and look for more information on where to buy droids like Chance, and exactly who might be making them. Of course, she came up with nothing, but she still persevered.

Today, as it had been a day off for Keith, they were out shopping. They had originally planned to head back home after they finished at Pidge’s place, but Keith had suggested they go shopping instead-just to get out of the house some. Chance was of course eager to go anywhere, and they decided to walk to the mall. It wasn’t overly far from where Pidge lived, and Keith was in no rush. Besides, Keith kept feeling like they were being watched-had for a while-and this way it gave him a better chance to look for anyone suspicious. He couldn’t even begin to imagine who would bother following them, although with Chance’s looks he wouldn’t be too surprised if he had turned a few heads and that is what Keith was confusing with being followed. He could be a little paranoid at times, and he knew this time was probably no different.

They were just turning onto the street to head to the mall when Keith noticed a burly man staring wide eyed right at them. Within a split-second Keith watched this man go from standing stalk still to running full tilt at them. Keith was about to grab Chance and run, but he wasn’t fast enough. Within moments, was before them. “Lance!!!”

He wrapped his arms around the incredibly startled android. Keith could only stand there and gawk at the sight before him. Here was this guy who was holding Chance in his arms like he was his long lost child; suspended slightly off the ground do to the sheer force of the hug. There were tears in the man’s eyes, and Keith wasn’t sure how to deal with a crying person… especially one who could cry in public. The more Keith observed the man, the more confused he was. He had called the droid by a name that wasn’t Chance, but sounded so close. Keith knew it couldn’t be his previous master; the descriptions Chance had given him definitely didn’t match up with the guy in front of him.

Keith looked to Chance who was clearly freaking out about being held by a stranger. He returned Keith’s look, desperate for Keith to intervene. “Hey…who the hell are you?”

The big man finally slowed his sobbing and set Chance down the inch to the ground, but wouldn’t let go of him; only loosened his grip. He turned his attention over to Keith who was doing his best to look angry and intimidating, while not letting on how baffled he was by the whole situation.

The man’s attention didn’t say on Keith long, and immediately went back to the android in front of him. “Lance, I have been looking for you everywhere! Where have you been?! I was so worried about you, and your family is worried about you. Why did you leave and not say anything!?”

Chance pushed back away from the man with all the force he could-which was quite a lot-without hurting the man in front of him. He hurried over to Keith and hid behind Keith’s back, shaking like a leaf in the wind. “I don’t know you.”

The man looked absolutely heartbroken at those words. “Lance…please…”

Keith had just about enough of this guy. “He said he doesn’t know you, so why don’t you drop it?’

Anger flashed in the man’s eyes. “Just drop it!? That is my best friend right there, and I know some shit happened at home, but I have spent the last three and a half years looking for Lance, and I am not going to just ‘drop it’ because you said so!”

Chance gripped onto the back of Keith’s jacket, holding onto him for security. “My name isn’t Lance! Stop calling me that! It’s Chance! That is the name I was given.”

This seemed to anger the man even further, and Keith was pondering just how strong this guy really was. He was twice the size of Keith, and he certainly didn’t want to find out if he could take this guy on. “The name you were given?! By who!? This asshole?!”

Chance just held onto Keith tighter, and Keith was trying to get them out of there without there being any injuries. Before he could move, the man gripped his collar and put their faces closer together. “Just what the fuck have you done to my best friend?!”

“Look, just calm down, man. I honestly think you’re a little confused here. I can _promise_ you that this isn’t you best friend…Lance, was it?” Keith hoped the best way out of the situation was to calm the man down and explain. He didn’t really want to tell anyone about Chance, and what he was, but if that meant this guy would get off their back, he might need to.

His words didn’t seem to diminish the fury in the man’s eyes. “You expect me to believe that!? He looks and sounds just like Lance. Same height, same body type, same hair colour and cut! Exactly how do you intend to prove this isn’t my best friend that you’ve done some like weird mind control shit on?”

While Keith wasn’t normally one to rule out mind control as a theory, this time he was certain he could. Besides, they were causing quite the scene and Keith really didn’t want to get the police involved. “No, look just come with us okay? I’ll prove it.”

The man seemed reluctant, but nodded his head. Chance seemed less keen on having the man join them, but Keith gripped his hand tightly in assurance. Together they all walked towards Shiro’s gym. If anything, they could have a private room to talk in. Plus Keith would have some back up in case things got bad. Keith texted Shiro a quick summary of the situation, but didn’t expect a response.

What he did receive was Shiro meeting them at the door and staring the strange man down. He led them to his office and locked the door behind them, leaning against the door. For the first time, the man seemed frightened. Keith took a seat in one of the chairs at Shiro’s desk and urged Chance to sit beside him. The man took a seat on the couch, nervously wringing his hands.

“Okay, now I’m going to prove that this is _not_ your best friend, but if I do that, can you _promise_ not to tell anyone about us?”

Shiro sent a scowl towards the man on the couch that made him visibly gulp. “Uh, yeah. I can do that.”

Keith turned to Chance and slowly moved his hand up to the button to open the droid’s neck panel. Once it popped open, there was a choked gasp, and Keith turned to see the man crying once more as he looked at the android in front of him. Chance seemed worried and a little uncomfortable showing a stranger his internal wiring, so Keith just held a hand with his own. “So as you can see…not your best friend.”

The man covered his face with his big hands and continued to cry. Keith closed Chance back up and looked to Shiro, who looked undeniably concerned for the poor man in front of them. He moved from the door and sat beside the man. “Hey, sorry we couldn’t help you. You must miss your friend a lot.”

The man nodded. “He ran away from home just before we graduated high school. As soon as I graduated, I went looking for him. Did a few odd jobs here and there to get enough money for food and stuff, but otherwise both my parents and his parents helped out with my expenses to find him. Lance has a big family, so it’s not like either of his parents could just leave and go after him. Besides, it’s partially their fault he left anyway, so he probably wouldn’t handle it well if one of them found him.”

Keith felt bad for the guy. Here he was scouring town after town, city after city, to look for his best friend. “What led you to think that this was the right city?”

“I had gotten word about a guy matching Lance’s description coming to Altea, so I followed the lead. The city is huge though, so Lance’s parents had me hire a private investigator to help. They had tracked him to having previously worked at a club here, but no one has seen or heard from him in over a year! Then I get a call last week from one of the detectives about them having spotted someone who looked identical to Lance from the picture they had. They wanted to tail you guys a little while longer, but I couldn’t wait. I had to know. And I just…let my emotions take over before I made sure it was him, I guess. Sorry...er…”

“Keith. My name is Keith, and beside you is my brother, Shiro.”

The man gave Shiro a weak nod of acknowledgement. “My name is Hunk. Sorry for all this…fuss.”

Hunk bowed his head and made to leave but Shiro stopped him. “Hang on just a second, I’m not entirely sure that you’re wrong.”

Both Keith and Hunk were confused. “What do you mean Shiro?”

“I mean, that we know nothing about where Chance came from, or how he was made. What if…what if his looks were based off of Hunk’s friend Lance, and that the creator might know what happened to Hunk’s friend.”

Keith stared at his brother. “And you call me the conspiracy theorist.”

Shiro rolled his eyes. “You think the moon landing was faked, so yes, yes I do and you _definitely_ are. All I’m saying it, it might be possible. I know everyone on Earth is supposed to have a doppelganger, or so they say, but what if this isn’t just a coincidence? He had to be based off someone, right? I mean…could someone really make up an android that was so…real, without basing it off anything?”

Keith had to admit, his brother was absolutely right. It was entirely possible that the android and Hunk’s missing friend were connected somehow, even if it was just that the creator knew him. If the creator knew this Lance guy, then maybe he could help point Hunk in the right direction of where his friend might be. Either way, it meant learning more about Chance, and he desperately wanted to. “You said you were working with a private detective, right?”

“Yeah…?”

“Maybe if we bring Chance to them, they can help figure out who previously owned him, and maybe even who created him.” Keith suggested.

Hunk pondered it, but then gave Keith a warm smile that kind of reminded him of a fairy tale prince. “It couldn’t hurt. I’ll take any potential lead I can find, if that gets me anywhere close to finding Lance again.”

“Would you be okay with that?” Keith turned to ask the android.

Chance was sitting in the chair, with the blank expression on his face that Keith saw time to time. It was happening more frequently, and that was beginning to worry Keith a lot. Pidge said without being able to locate his computer chip, she couldn’t look to see if anything was wrong. Keith squeeze the hand he was still holding. It snapped the android’s attention back to the present. “Yes, I am okay with that. I would like to know about my creator as well.”

Once Keith got the okay from Chance, they were set to go. Shiro asked them to wait in the office for a while so he could make sure he was done for the day before they left. Hunk asked about how Keith came to obtain Chance, and Keith explained the whole thing from finding Chance in the dumpster behind his work, to fixing him up, and everything in between. He purposely left out the part about Chance being designed for sex; he didn’t think that would go over very well.

Telling Hunk of all the unique qualities that he found Chance to have caused a small, sad smile to grace Hunk’s face. “Wow…Loves the rain, cooking, and dancing? That’s…just like Lance. It’s so weird. He doesn’t have like a serious obsession with Jurassic Park, does he?”

Keith looked over at Chance, who was looking anywhere but at the two humans in the room. He still held Keith’s hand for dear life, like he wouldn’t know what to do with himself if Keith let go. “Actually, now that you mention, he did seem really interested and in love with the whole series when we were watching it a little while ago. That’s another Lance thing?”

“Yeah…it is. This is actually, like, scary crazy how alike they are-as far as interests go anyway. Like wow. You even gave this android a name that’s so close to Lance’s name.”

It was becoming more and more apparent that there was likely a connection between the android, and Hunk’s missing friend. The question was, what exactly _was_ the connection. It was one thing to base the looks of an android off someone, but to give the android’s program features that were akin to a real person…now that was strange. Now that Keith really thought about it, there was no real reason to have an android be able to cook and clean if you only really used them for sex. Chance had said that he lived in a manor, so wouldn’t they hire cooks and maids?

Shiro came back before Keith could question himself into a mental box, and they all hopped in his SUV. Hunk directed them to an area just before the high-end districts. It didn’t look like much. The building was old, and looked worn down. Keith also noticed, as he stepped out of the vehicle, that the sign on the door did not advertise a detective agency, but a historical society instead. He shot a questioning look to Hunk, but was ignored. Hunk made his way through the doors with confidence, and the other three followed inside; though with a lot less confidence then Hunk had.

Keith was in awe as soon as he walked inside. There were display cases everywhere, all holding various different relics and artifacts found in varying places. The largest display just behind the desk was of things found in the area, rather than around the world. Hunk didn’t seem remotely as interested as the other three, and dinged the bell on the desk.

An older man with red hair and a bushy mustache popped up from behind the desk. “Welcome! Lovely day isn’t it, sir? Come to purchase some relics for your collection?”

“No, my friends and I are interested in investigating the archives.” Hunk answered smoothly.

The man smiled and slipped out from behind the desk. “Right this way, sirs.”

They followed the man through the large double doors that were at the back of the room. There were more displays around, and Keith couldn’t help but want to look at everything in detail. This entire building was totally up his ally, and he almost forgot why they were there until they reached the end of the room. There was a grey, old door with a dusty name plate that said ‘Historical Archive’. “I hope you find what you need inside.”

“Thank you.” Hunk said and the older man left to the front of the store. Hunk opened the door and walked inside like it was exactly where he wanted to be. Keith, Shiro and Chance followed him inside, skeptical about where they were headed. Inside the room was exactly what the plaque had said it was, an archive room. Keith was about to ask if Hunk really knew what he was doing, but then Hunk was pulling a book of the shelf near the back, and the bookcase swung open to reveal a hidden door. This was one much newer, dark oak with a big tinted glass window. Hunk knocked on the door three times and waited. There was a buzz, and the door swung open. Hunk smiled at the group with him to help ease them before entering the room. The other three followed, and came to stand in a large office. To Keith, it looked like an old school private eye office, like the ones in the black and white films Shiro liked to watch.

A tall dark skinned woman with long silver hair was standing behind the desk, her arms crossed and frown gracing her face. “Hunk, do you mind telling me why the people we’ve been trailing are in my office?”

“Sorry, Allura, I just…stumbled across them and couldn’t help but act.” Hunk hung his head.

The woman, Allura, glided out from behind her desk with the grace of a royal and stood in front of them. “I told you _not_ to engage them. Coran and I still weren’t sure if he is your friend or not.”

“And you were right, but I think these guys could help.” Hunk answered.

Allura’s sharp eyes turned her attention on both Keith and Chance. Chance moved to be behind Keith, who stood taller to show that he was not intimated by her; which was a complete lie and he was pretty sure this woman could kick both his and Shiro’s asses if she felt inclined. He introduced himself, his brother, and Chance before diving right into the tale of how he came to find Chance. It felt strange to repeat the same story twice in such a short amount of time, but it may be worth it in the long run. Allura’s face went from annoyed to curious and calculated very fast. She sat on the edge of her desk and listened to Keith’s story. She became especially interested once Hunk piped in about all the similarities between Chance and Lance.

Once Keith had finished his story, Allura moved off the desk and towards Keith and Chance. “And you don’t remember anything either than you lived in a manor, and your previous master had long blond hair and always wore a mask, is that correct?”

Chance nodded, not wanting to upset Keith by added that he also knew what he was programmed for. Allura gave them a warm smile and turned back to her desk. She slipped a switch on her desk, and a panel of the wall moved to reveal a cork board. There were pictures of Lance, or so Keith assumed, and string connecting to pictures and post-it notes. Allura jotted down another note and placed it on the board, not adding a connection just yet. She sat behind her desk and gestured for the four to sit. Like Shiro’s office, she had two chairs in front of her desk, and a couch just off to the side; however, her furniture was a lot nicer looking than Shiro’s and a lot comfier.

“So, let me get the facts right. Keith, you found Chance here in a dumpster with wires disconnected from the back. With the help of your brother, you brought him home. You friend, Pidge was it, is a tech wiz and rewired Chance, and then gave him a vocal box so he could speak. He’s been living with you, and knows next to nothing about his past. Now, Hunk enters the picture and mistakes Chance for his friend, Lance.  It comes to light that there are too many similarities between Lance and Chance that you would like me to look into where Chance came from to see if there is a connection to him and Lance, is that correct?”

The humans nodded, and Chance just shrunk in on himself. Keith could tell he was nervous being here, with curious eyes staring at him. Keith wanted to take him home right away and just sit on the couch alone with him until he calmed down.

Allura hummed and looked back to the board before turning her eyes back to the group. “Well, we’ve had no real leads in almost a month, so this one might be as good as any. I have to warn all of you, though, that this may be entirely a coincidence, or that we find something we _really_ didn’t want to know.”

She didn’t have to spell it out for them. They all knew that she meant they may find that Lance had passed on. It was definitely something Keith had questioned on the way to the office, and Allura speaking it out loud made the possibility all too real.

“We understand, Allura. You know I’ve been prepared for the worst since I came here, and that hasn’t changed.” Hunk said, clearly upset but trying to contain it.

Allura gave a curt nod. “Well then, I’m going to contact my own tech expert to take a look at Chance here. Not that I don’t think your friend has done an incredible job, it’s just that he is a little more used to…underground robotics. It may take a few days though, he’s a little paranoid. If you could give me your number, Keith, I can contact you when he arrives.”

Keith took the pen extended to him and scribbled down his cell phone number on a post-it note. He also scribbled in Shiro’s just in case, which Shiro had no objections too. “Do you mind if I bring Pidge with me? She’d be horribly distraught if we found anything and she wasn’t present.”

“Of course you may. Now, I have some digging to do. I’ll call you later,” She turned to Hunk. “Would you mind fetching Coran for me? I’d like to discuss this new intel with him.”

“Sure. I’ll watch the shop in the meantime.” Hunk replied, before showing the others the way out. The bookcases seemed to automatically close after some time, but Hunk pulled a lever that opened it up once more. They left the archive room and made their way back to the front where the red-headed man from before still was. He smiled politely at them. “Did you find everything you were looking for, sirs?”

“We did, but archives are a little dusty.” Hunk said, giving Coran a knowing look.

Coran nodded. “Well then, I best go dust them. Have a wonderful evening, gentlemen.”

With that, the man ducked into the back room. Keith gave Hunk was questioning look. Hunk laughed as he slipped behind the desk. “Coran is all about secret codes and stuff. Thinks it fitting for a private detective agency. Allura’s father and Coran founded both the historical society, and the private detective agency, or so Coran has told me.”

Keith could only imagine the kinds of codes that Hunk had to deal with while coming and going from the office. “And you watch the front door?”

Hunk shrugged. “Well, Allura now owns this whole building, and there’s a small guest house upstairs. I’m currently staying there while Allura is working on this case, and sometimes I help out if Coran need me, or is away.”

Keith was about to ask a few more questions, but suddenly Chance starting shaking and twitching. He nearly hit Shiro in the arm with one of his tremors, seemingly unable to control what he was doing. Keith was holding onto him and seconds, and asking many times over if he was okay. There was that same dazed look in Chance’s eyes that was really beginning to freak Keith out. And then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. Chance blinked his big blue eyes at Keith, a little confused why Keith was so close and holding him. Keith moved back and exhaled deeply. “Okay, well I guess we’ll see you when Allura calls us?”

“I’ll be here. And thanks, for…you know…all of this. Even if it turns out to be nothing, the fact that you’re willing to help in trying means a lot to me.”

Shiro and Keith exchanged a sad, knowing look. “Well, we both know what it’s like to have someone we care about suddenly vanish.” Keith didn’t want Hunk to pry any further, so just bid him a goodnight and left the building with Shiro and Chance in tow.

The drive back to Keith’s apartment seemed to take so much longer. There were so many things that Keith wasn’t sure of, and so many questions he still had. He didn’t want to wait a few days, he wanted answers now. He knew that was just him being impatient, but he couldn’t help it. He felt so close to learning more of the truth about what happened to Chance, yet it seemed to far away at the same time.

Shiro didn’t join them, said he had to go back to work quickly, and left them alone. Keith said nothing as they headed up the stairs and into his apartment. Chance was also unusually quiet, like he too was lost in thought. It wasn’t late, but it was too soon for dinner. Keith grabbed Chance’s hand and led him to the couch. He sat down himself and pulled Chance down to sit right next to him. “It’s going to be okay. We’re going to find out about your past, and no matter what we find, I _promise_ you that I will still take care of you. You are important to me.”

Chance looked up at Keith, eyes wide and slightly glassy. He leaned forward and gently placed his lips to Keith’s cheek. “Thank you.”

Keith flushed at the affection, but didn’t scorn it. He just pulled Chance a little closer and held him until he thought he would be okay. It didn’t make a difference to him if Chance was an android. To him, Chance was just as real as anyone else Keith had encountered, and he would comfort him in anyway he could. There was a lot more ahead for them, and Keith swore he would be there for Chance no matter what.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now we have Hunk, Allura, and Coran! We've still got a few more characters to add in, but they will all mostly be coming up shortly!
> 
> Hope you enjoyed! And have a Happy Easter!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we go with yet another chapter. God I feel bad about what I do to these characters.
> 
> I'd just like to note, if I may, that I know some of you will see similarities in other media like Chobits or Ghost in the Shell, ect. But I'd like to state for the record that I had not seen anything like what I am doing in media myself. Never seen Chobits, and until the live action version came out (which was WELL after I plotted all this), I had never seen Ghost in the Shell. So anything that's similar is seriously a coincidence. A very awkward coincidence on my part. Completely unintentional. (and on that note I can clearly state that no, Lance/Chance is NOT like Motoko. Puttin that out there)
> 
> Eternal thanks to by beta, callmesinpai, who dealt with a great deal of me freaking out about this chapter. 
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy!

It took another week before Allura contacted Keith to come to her office again. In that time, things with Chance had gotten worse. He would just stop talking mid sentence and stare off into space. He would always snap back after a few minutes, but the frequency was concerning. The android didn’t recall shorting out either, and continued talking where he left off.

A few times in the evening, Keith had woken up to an empty bed. On further investigation, he would find Chance with the window open, staring out across the city. Each time, he asked what the android was doing, Chance said he didn’t know. It was almost as if he had sleepwalked over, and couldn’t give Keith a reason why. Keith had brought Chance to Pidge for answers, but sadly she couldn’t give him a solid answer. With her unable to find his chip, she couldn’t diagnose why the program was glitching out, nor could she fix it. It frustrated her to no end, and while she had theories of where the chip might be, she couldn’t find any hint of an opening anywhere aside from the two they knew about.

The day after they met Allura, Shiro had taken Chance with him to go grocery shopping for Keith’s place  while Keith was at the gym. Chance came back with spices he’d never used before, and ones that Keith was unfamiliar with. Everything that Chance made was delicious and simple, but after that trip, Chance began to make dishes that Keith was completely uncertain of. It wasn’t that they were bad, they were amazing, it was just a completely different style of cooking than Keith was used to. Three times in that week Chance had made a wonderful chicken and rice dish, and he made a lot of it; like he had intended to feed more than just Keith. 

The call from Allura had come at a great time. Chance had gone through yet another fit, near seizure like, just before she had called. She said her tech guru was finally there, and that they needed to get there as soon as they could. Keith contacted both Pidge and Shiro. Pidge was first annoyed to be woken up, but soon was delighted to have been contacted first. Shiro didn’t answer his phone, meaning he was teaching a class, but Keith left a message for him. Chance and Keith headed out and met up with Pidge before bussing to the historical society.

The sign noted that it was closed for repairs, but Keith had been told to knock six times slowly, and Coran would let them in. Allura and her tech whiz were in the basement where there was a small medical/panic room. Hunk was also waiting for them in the front with Coran, strained smile on his face like he wanted to stay positive, but found it exceedingly difficult.

Keith greeted Coran and Hunk, as well as introduced Pidge. They greeted the three of them back, seeming just as anxious to get down to the basement. Chance was holding on to the sleeve of Keith’s favorite red jacket, head bowed and not looking at anyone. Pidge was looking around the room excitedly, but was a little more eager to meet this tech master than she was about the artifacts.  Coran cleared his throat. “Alright gentlemen, is this all of you?”

Keith checked his phone. Shiro had texted him a few minutes ago that he was on the way and would be there as soon as he could. “No, my brother should be showing up soon.”

Coran nodded. “Right, I will stay up here and bring him down when I see him. I hope he knows the code.”

Keith had left the instructions in the voicemail when he called, so he wasn’t worried. Hunk took point and led them towards the back. Pidge looked back at Coran and thought about correcting him about her gender, but it wasn’t the first time she had been mistaken for a boy, and it wouldn’t be the last she was sure. Keith had snickered about it a little, earning him an elbow to the ribs. Hunk was silent the whole way down to the basement, unable to bring himself to make conversation. There was too much on his mind for him to even try to talk about anything.

The basement was cool and dark, but there didn’t seem to be any other doors that would lead to the rooms. However, Keith learned quickly that there were hidden things for a reason, and this situation was no different. Hunk knocked three short rapid knocks and five slow ones on a space under a painting of five lions. There was a metallic click, and the wall swung open to reveal the room behind it. Allura was standing in the doorway, smiling brightly and beckoning for them to come in. In the corner of the room, was a short brown-skinned man with strange green and blond striped hair, pacing back and forth in the corner.

The wall panel closed as soon as the four of them entered the room. “It’s good to see you two again,” she smiled politely at Pidge. “And you must be the wonderful tech friend that fixed up poor Chance here. I’m Allura, Private Detective and current owner of The Castle, the histological society you saw upstairs.”

“Nice to meet you too, my name is P-”

“Matt Holt? Is that you?”

Both Keith and Pidge’s attention snapped towards the shorter man in the room. He had a bit of an accent, but what he said was unmistakable. Pidge was over at his side before Keith could blink. “How do you know my brother?! Do you know where he is right now? When was the last time you saw him?”

The man stepped back in surprise, not being used to people being in his face. He looked to Allura for help. Allura swooped in and placed a hand on Pidge’s shoulder. “This is my technological investigator, Slav. Slav, this is the young lady who fixed the android I told you about. Pidge, right?”

Slav looked Pidge up and down before standing up straight and adjusting his lab coat. “Ah I see, a younger sister in this reality. I suppose there could be another reality in which Matt Holt had a twin brother, or maybe even an evil doppelganger.”

Keith, Hunk, and Pidge shot Allura questioning looks. She sighed and shook her head. “Slav has a theory on alternate realties and dimensions. Just a hobby of his, so don’t worry about it.”

Pidge went to turn back to ask Slav yet again about her brother, but the man had slipped right passed her and was now standing in front of a startled Chance. “Hmm, this is quite some advanced work here.”

“It is anything you may have seen before?” Allura asked, hopefulness in her tone.

Slav hummed about it. “Mm no, at least not in _this_ reality. This type of android in something far more advanced than any of the illegal droids that have come my way.”

Pidge stormed her way back to Slav and grabbed him by the arm. “You can look at Chance in a minute. Right now, in this reality, you need to tell me how you know my brother.”

Slav may be slim, but he wasn’t a weakling. He twisted himself out of Pidge’s grasp. “I met Matt about five years ago when I was doing a seminar at Altea University. He was memorable, since he was the only one who asked questions and seemed legitimately interested in my topic. We emailed back and forth for about a year before a situation caused me to go underground. I have not spoken to, or seen Matt since then.”

Pidge visibly deflated at the news, and hung her head. All she wanted was just a little more information about her brother, but even this new knowledge did absolutely nothing to further the mystery of where her brother went. She mumbled an apology to Slav for grabbing him before returning to Keith’s side.

There was a set of knocks and the door opened once more to reveal Shiro and Coran. Shiro was introduced to Slav, who seemed to take particular interest in his mechanical arm. Shiro explained that Pidge had made it and her mother attached it. “Ah, intelligent like your brother I see. He too had a knack for mechanics, more so than for quantum physics sadly; though he was quite adept in that as well.”

Shiro furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to ask, but Keith just shook his head and mouthed ‘later’ to him. Instead, Shiro greeted the others in the room before taking a seat in one of the chairs against the wall. “So, did we discover anything?”

“I was just about to conduct an investigation. Miss…Pidge, was it? Would you mind assisting me? Two sets of eyes would be better than one.”

Pidge lit up at the opportunity to really poke around Chance in depth. She all but skipped over to the operating table, where Slav had made use to one of the medical carts for his gear. He patted the table and turned his light brown eyes to Chance, who had been watching him cautiously. “Please get completely undressed, and lay on your stomach.”

Chance looked to Keith with a bit of horror in his eyes. There was no way that Chance would be comfortable with having everyone see him naked like this. He may be built for sex, but that didn’t mean his opinions didn’t matter. Keith gave Slav a sour look. “He’s keeping his boxers on.”

Keith’s tone was final, and Slav definitely picked up on it. He shrugged and patted the table once more. Keith gave Chance a little reassuring smile, hoping it would calm the android even a little bit. “Is that okay?”

Chance nodded slowly, and began to take off most his clothes. The others looked away to give him at least some privacy; only Keith and Slav paid any attention. Slav was interested in the fluidity of the android’s motions doing simple tasks, while Keith’s mind went somewhere completely different. He flushed, and averted his eyes as the android took off his jeans. He really felt terrible about oogling Chance, but sometimes it was hard not too; he was just so damn attractive.

Once the droid was undressed, he cautiously made his way over to the table and laid down as he had been instructed. Pidge was paying attention now, and showed Slav how to open the back panel. Keith moved to stay beside Chance, placing a hand on the table beside his. Chance loosely linked a pinky finger with Keith’s own, and Keith’s heart fluttered.

Slav wasted no time poking around inside Chance. He questioned Pidge on what she knew and what she had checked. Keith was happy to see his friend perk up at being able to talk tech with someone who understood what she was saying once more. She used to only have Matt, and with him gone, it was like she was speaking another language to others.

“So you have yet to find his program?”

Pidge nodded. “Yeah, it’s like all the places it should be, and all the places that are accessible have nothing. It may be that I missed something, or that it’s in his throat beyond his vocal box?”

Slav closed Chance’s back panel and flipped Chance on his back; who squawked and looked absolutely terrified at the sudden movement. Keith was about ready to rip Slav a new one, but an apologetic look from Pidge made him hold his tongue. He knew what Pidge herself was like when she was extremely interested in something, and he could only assume it was similar for this strange man as well. He moved his hand to grab one of Chance’s; rubbing soothing motions on the faux skin. Chance turned his head and stared at Keith. Keith watched him try to smile, but then have yet another moment where he blanked out.

Pidge picked up on it immediately and explained the situation to Slav. It as a point of intrigue for the older man, and he moved his investigation towards Chance’s face. When Chance snapped back to himself, he tried to push his face further way from the leering gaze of Slav. Pidge thankfully deferred his attention to the neck panel so they could continue poking around.

“Hmm, this is very interesting. Are you sure these are the only two places that can be accessed?” Slav asked, face way too close to Chance’s neck for Keith’s liking.

Pidge adjusted her glasses. “Uh yeah. I’ve looked him over a few times, and found nothing. He doesn’t know either.”

Slav opened his mouth to speak once more, but Chance was struck with one of his worst tremors yet. Keith moved and held him still on the table so he wouldn’t fall until he settled down. Slav watched the scene calculatingly. “Does he do this often?”

“It’s been getting worse…” Keith sighed, leaning his body away from Chance after his episode calmed down.

“You probably haven’t been using him for what he’s programmed for. Cleaning droids I’ve worked on before have done similar things if they were not cleaning.” Slav said, putting the tool he had just been prodding into Chance’s neck away.

Keith flushed, and Pidge couldn’t help but snicker under her breath despite the seriousness of the situation. Only three people in the room knew what Chance was designed for, and there was no way that Keith wanted to talk about that in context of him using Chance for what he was designed for. Shiro cleared his throat awkwardly, aware of the implications. The other four humans in the room looked at the group with curiosity. “I was under the impression you didn’t know what he was programmed for.”

Shiro rubbed the back of his neck. “Sorry, Allura. We do, it’s just…awkward to talk about.”

Allura crossed his arms and waited for an explanation. Shiro looked to Keith to give the answer, if he was fine with the others knowing. Keith really didn’t want to have to say, but in the hopes that they get some answers, it was probably a better idea to be honest. He cleared his throat and mumbled, “Servitude and pleasure.”

Hunk made a sort of choking noise, and Coran gave a slightly scandalized gasp. Allura flushed lightly and nodded her head once in acknowledgement, but said nothing more. Slav on the other hand peered at Chance more intently. “I have heard talk of an underground network of sex droids, but this is the first time I’ve seen one. I’m rather curious about how accurate they made all his parts.”

Keith watched Slav’s eyes shift to the boxers Chance was wearing. He gave Slav the nastiest scowl he could muster. “He was naked when we found him, so very accurate. Leave it be.”

Slav pouted ever so slightly but turned his attention back to the open panel in Chance’s neck. Keith hadn’t let go of his hand, and squeezed it once to remind Chance he was still there. Slav took a light and shone it all over. He placed his head down on Chance’s collar and squinted his eyes. When he pulled back up, he clicked off the light and grabbed yet another tool. “There is a metal plate inside near just below where his jaw should be. If my theory is correct, the program may have been placed in the droid’s skull-much like the human brain.”

Slav held the gun like object near Chance’s jaw and placed a pair of goggled over his eyes. “This is a specialized x-ray machine. I need the lights dimmed, and no one near or looking me and the android. It will damage your eyes.”

Keith wanted to protest but Chance gave a returning light squeeze to let Keith know it was okay. Keith slipped his hand away from Chance and padded over towards Hunk and Shiro. Pidge slunk away from the table dejectedly, sitting off to the side from them, but closer to the table so she could still see. Allura flicked the lights off, and Slav got to work.

Keith leaned against the back wall and waited for everything to be done. Hunk moved a little closer to him, seemingly wanting to talk. He didn’t look upset that Keith had kept the detail to Chance’s programming from him, so Keith turned his head to Hunk. “Hey…”

“Hey…how have things been?”

Keith shrugged. “Not great I guess. He’s been having those tremors more often. He seems…lost too. Like he’s searching for something, but doesn’t know what. He’s still cooking and cleaning, but differently than what he had been doing before. He’s making dishes I’ve never even heard of before, and cooking way too much for one person.”

Hunk furrowed his brow. “What exactly is he making?”

“I…don’t know. It’s some almost stew-like chicken and rice dish. It’s really good whatever it is.”

“It’s arroz con pollo…that’s Lance’s favorite dish to make. He always made it when he was stressed out, or upset about something. And always enough that he could share with his family.”

Keith wanted to look towards Chance, but knew he really shouldn’t at that moment. “That’s…really weird.”

“Something isn’t right here…Like that’s _too_ close to how Lance is….” Hunk looked pained, and Keith really felt for the guy.

Keith wanted to comfort the guy, but didn’t know what to say. The hum in the background stopped, and Slav called for the light to come back on. “Well, I will have to let you know what I found another day.”

“What!? Why can’t just tell us now?” Keith was already pretty annoyed with this guy, and this wasn’t helping.

Slav methodically put all his tools away back in his kit. “Because all the data will go to my encrypted laptop, which is locked away in my house.”

Keith was angry, but understood that this crazy man was very over cautious about things. He huffed and grabbed Chance’s clothes so he could get dressed. As he handed the clothes to Chance, the droid’s gaze blanked, and he paused mid reach. Keith waited patiently for Chance to return to himself.

When Chance’s vision seemed to come back, something wasn’t quite the same. He looked around wildly and started to panic. “¿Dónde estoy? ¿Quienes son ustedes? Hunk? Hunk!! ¡¿Que esta pasando?!”

Hunk was at Chance’s side in a flash. He held onto the droid’s shoulders. “Lance?! Lance is that you!? Talk to me!! What happened to you?”

Chance reached out to touch Hunk’s face, only to be hit with another tremor. When he calmed from that one, Keith saw that he had gone back to the droid that Keith knew. He looked confused at why Hunk was in front of him, tears spilling down his face. Chance looked to Keith. “What’s happening?”

“No no no no! That was Lance!! Oh my god, he was calling for me! Lance, Lance are you in there!? What did they do to you!?” Hunk still had a grip on Chance’s shoulders and shook him as he cried.

Keith grabbed onto one of Hunk’s hands and removed it from the terrified droid. Hunk released Chance’s other shoulder himself as he crumpled to the ground and hid his face in his hands. Keith handed Chance his clothes and knelt down to Hunk’s level. He didn’t say anything, just patted Hunk on the shoulder. Keith had never been the comforting type before Chance, and was still a little awkward about people crying.

Allura and Coran were having a whispered conversation, while Shiro and Pidge were looking wide-eyed at the three by the table. Slav had looked over when the entire situation had happened, but turned his attention back to putting his things away.

A tentative hand was placed on Keith’s shoulder and he turned to see a concerned Chance looking down at him. “Do you remember calling for Hunk?”

Chance shook his head. Keith pressed on. “How about speaking Spanish? I think? Do you know you can speak another language?”

“N-No, I’ve never spoken another language before.” Chance looked even more worried. Keith could tell he didn’t know what to make of Hunk crying, especially since he knew Chance probably deduced it had something to do with him. Nothing upset the droid more than making people upset.

Hunk sniffed. “Yes, it was Spanish. I don’t know much, but Lance’s parents are from Cuba, so they taught all their children Spanish before they all learned English. They helped me learn as well, since I was considered an honorary family member. Lance normally doesn’t speak Spanish unless he’s at home, or he’s scared. And he was scared just now. He asked where he was, who you guys were, and what was happening.”

Allura swept over and crouched down to talk with Hunk face to face. “Hunk, would you say that there is no doubt in your mind that Chance here is connected to your friend Lance.”

“There is no doubt that somehow Chance is Lance. You cannot program something that accurate.” Hunk wiped the tears from his eyes. “God…what did they do to my best friend?”

Chance moved and tapped Hunk on the shoulder gently. Hunk looked up at the android, expression showing his hurt. “I’m sorry…I wish I could help more. I wish I knew what was wrong with me, and how I relate to your friend. If it helps any, you can call me Lance?”

Hunk stared up at the android for a while before twisting his body and pulling the android down into his lap, holding onto him tightly. “Thank you.”

The droid hugged back, glancing up at Keith with slight caution to make sure he hadn’t overstepped. Keith gave a light smile, the best he could muster, and stood up to give Hunk a bit of space. Keith moved away and rejoined the rest of the group. Allura followed, brow furrowed deep in concentration. “Well, now that we are pretty positive that Chance has something to do with Lance, we can try and dig a little deeper into what happened to Lance and find the people that clearly did something to him, or we can figure out who created or owned Chance, and find out what happened that way. Either way, we have a better shot at getting to the bottom of this whole situation.”

“How long is it going to take to get the data back?” Shiro asked Slav, who was standing a bit apart from the rest of them.

“A day, maybe two. I need to process what the x-ray picked up.” Slav looked like he wanted to leave, but also seemed like if he did something bad would happen. He sort of shifted from one foot to another, looking to the door, than back to one of the beds in the corner.

Coran smiled tightly and opened the door. “Slav, I’ll show you your way out. The others can stay here for a moment.”

Coran walked out of the room and Slav quickly zipped out behind him. Before he left however, he turned his attention to Keith. “Remember, his tremors should stop if you activate his program. If you don’t, he may stop working all together.”

Keith turned red and didn’t respond as Slav left the room. Shiro waited until the door closed once more before he spoke. “So…do we keep calling him Chance? Because if he really is Lance in some way…maybe it would be better to call him that instead?”

Keith didn’t know what to say. Ultimately, he wanted it to be the android’s choice. The name Chance was just something they came up with anyway. If he had a real name, and wanted to go by it, then it would be weird not to. He didn’t bring it up until Hunk and the android made their way over to the group. The android made his way quickly to Keith’s side, head bowed like he did something wrong.

“Hey…did you want us all to call you Lance as well? I want it to be your call.”

Chance looked at Keith, searching for any hint that Keith may be unhappy with him that he let someone else call him by a different name. Seeing nothing of the sort, he thought about it for a while. “It…may be best? If I really am somehow connected to Hunk’s friend, then would that make it easier to treat me as such?”

Keith didn’t know if it would make it easier or not, he just wanted to get down to the bottom of all of this. “Alright, then we’ll call you Lance from now on.”

The newly named Lance nodded his head and looked down again. Keith wanted to take him away, but didn’t know if he would be able to so easily with everyone else there. Allura and Shiro both seemed to sense it though. “Pidge, I’d like to question you and Hunk some if that’s alright with you. I’d like to know a little more about what you do know about Lance here, and I’d like to learn a little bit about your missing brother. After all of this is concluded, I’d like to offer my services if I can.”

Pidge agreed, but Hunk looked like he didn’t want to be anywhere the android wasn’t. Eventually, he agreed, and left the room with Allura and Pidge. Shiro, Keith and Lance followed behind silently. While Allura said she would call when she heard from Slav, that didn’t give the three any peace of mind in the meantime. They all wanted to know what was happening and what they had gotten themselves into, but they knew it would take time to finally get all the answers. The humans thanked Allura before heading back to Shiro’s SUV.

The ride back to Keith’s apartment was silent, and Shiro didn’t stick around; he claimed he had things to do at home. Keith knew it was to give him and Lance some time to talk about things, and to calm down a little after everything that had happened. The android hadn’t spoken a word since they left, and he was looking more downcast than usual.

Keith drew the curtains closed and settled down on the couch, waiting patiently for Lance to join him. It felt a little strange, referring to him as Lance now, but at the same time it fit so much better than Chance did. Keith found it ironic that the name they picked was so similar to the actual name he was meant to have. Well, as far as they knew anyway. Until they had more solid evidence, there wasn’t anything saying that this android was one hundred percent Lance. However, with what they have seen so far, it definitely was more likely that he was.

The real question was, _why_ was he like Hunk’s missing best friend? There had to be a reason why they chose Lance, and that would be a huge lead if they could figure that out. As well as just how he is like Lance. It clearly wasn’t just a program. Keith wondered in slight horror if maybe it was something like that anime movie Pidge and Matt had shown him once; though he really hoped there wasn’t an actual human brain inside the droid. He couldn’t completely rule it out, and science fiction had known to become science fact, but at the same time it seemed so far fetched that Keith didn’t really want to include the idea. Still, there was something that made him all too human, and hopefully Slav would be able to figure that out.

Lance was still standing dejectedly in between the living room and the kitchen, trembling slightly. Keith got up from the couch and placed a hand on Lance’s shoulder. “Hey, talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“Will you dispose of me like my previous master did?” He asked quietly.

Keith heart broke at the hollow tone to the slight mechanical voice. “No, no I would never do that. Why would you think I would?”

“I’m not working right. I can’t be of use to you if I don’t work right. That must be what happened with my previous master…”

Keith pulled Lance into a tight hug, burying his face in the android’s shoulder. “I will _never_ abandon you. We’ll figure something out, okay? Maybe if Slav can confirm where your program chip is, we can work to change it a little. So you don’t _have_ to rely on being used by others to function. Even if we can’t…I’ll figure something out. I promise you, I won’t throw you away.”

Lance hugged back tightly, still trembling ever so slightly. They stayed like that, for who knew how long until Keith broke away. He took Lance’s hand and led him to the couch. Once Lance was seated, he put on Jurassic Park and went to heat up some food. It was early for dinner, but he didn’t care; He had completely missed lunch.

With food in hand, Keith grabbed one of the rare cans of soda he had in his fridge and settled down to watch the movie with Lance. He sat close, not shy that he was right up again the android. Keith had seen the movie a ton of times, so it didn’t interest him much, but it calmed Lance down and that was what he really needed.

When Keith was finished eating, Lance moved to lay his head down on Keith’s shoulder. Keith wrapped an arm behind and just loosely held onto him. They stayed like this for all three of the classic movies, and part of the new one before Keith had to call it a night. He was falling asleep, and it really wasn’t the comfiest position to sleep in. They changed into pyjamas and headed into bed together. Keith curled up again Lance, showing that he was still there and that Lance was safe with him.

 

_He traced his fingertips along smooth skin. It was slow, and gentle. Keith knew this is what his partner needed. He leaned down and kissed his way down from the top of his partner’s head all the way down to his lips.  The kissed was tentative, like both parties were unsure of what they were doing, yet full of emotion just the same._

_Hands moved to his waist, holding tightly, as Keith kissed downwards from his partner’s jaw. There was a whimper when he reached the sensitive area of his partner’s chest. He nipped gently, not enough to really leave a mark, but enough to receive a sharp gasp from the man beneath him._

_Keith peered up at his partner’s face, and glowing blue eyes looked back at him. “Master…”_

 

Keith woke with a start, sitting up and breathing raggedly. Lance also woke from the disturbance, but not nearly as abruptly as Keith had. “Are you alright?” he asked groggily.

Keith didn’t know how to answer that. He was technically fine, aside from the straining problem in his boxers. Lance waited for an answer as he sat up and watched Keith struggle to find something to say. He looked Keith up and down before clueing in to what the issue probably was. Lance slipped out of bed slowly. “I’ll sleep in the living room, so you can have your privacy.”

Against his better judgement, Keith grabbed Lance’s wrist. “No, you can stay.”

Lance gave him a questioning look, but sat down on the bed none the less. Keith’s heart was thundering in his chest, and he didn’t know where to go from here. Lance just watched him, big blue eyes boring into him. “Keith?”

In that moment, Keith threw all reason out the window and pushed himself up to kiss Lance. The android gasped, but didn’t pull back. He kissed back, slowly and tentatively like he really wasn’t sure if this was the right thing to do. Keith pulled back and stared at Lance. “Are you…okay with this?”

There was a silent implication of _‘Are you okay with me’_ in his tone. Lance nodded and this time, initiated the kiss. It was a lot more forceful than the last, and Keith fell into it. He adjusted himself and tugged at Lance until he was in Keith’s lap. Lance opened his mouth ever so slightly, and Keith slid his tongue along the android’s. The sensation was different, not entirely dry yet not anything like a human’s mouth. The feeling was still intoxicating, and Keith couldn’t help buck upwards into Lance.

Lance let out a whimper into their kiss and rolled his hips to create a friction that was near torture for Keith. Keith gripped the hem of Lance’s pyjama shirt and lifted it over his head, breaking the kiss. His skin was flawless, much like it had been in his dream; and even though he had just seen it hours before, he didn’t think he’d ever really grasp how perfectly he was crafted. He wondered if Lance was as sensitive as his mind seemed to want to think he was, and nipped lightly at the fake skin. Lance moaned lowly, the sound causing Keith’s already strain erection to twitch in interest. Keith knew marks wouldn’t stay, as there were no blood vessels in Lance’s body, but that didn’t stop him nipping and slightly sucking his way around Lance’s chest. The noises the android made were addicting, and Keith definitely wanted to hear more.

Keith lowered Lance on his back and shred himself of his own shirt. Lance watched him with a slight hunger in his eyes. Keith stared down at the android, wanting everything the android had to offer, and yet didn’t want to take advantage of him at the same time. “Do you want this? And not because your program tells you that you do. Do _you_ want this?”

Lance nodded, and pulled Keith down for another kiss. Keith really couldn’t tell if Lance really wanted this, or if his program had just taken over. In this moment, however, he didn’t know if he cared. He needed this, and it seemed like Lance did too. In the long run, it would help stop the tremors so he could function, and that was a great outcome to the situation overall. Keith tugged at Lance’s pants, working with the android to pull them off. Keith couldn’t help but stare at Lance once he was naked. His cock was hard, and standing upright, unlike when Keith had first found him in the dumpster.

He didn’t have much of a chance to admire Lance before the android gently flipped him on his back and began to shed Keith of his boxers with an aggressiveness that Keith was absolutely sure he never had shown his previous master. His aching cock hit the cold air, and Keith hissed slightly. Lance didn’t leave him unattended for long, placing a hand on Keith’s shaft, and stroking him slowly. The android took the tip of Keith’s leaking cock in his mouth, swirling his tongue around the tip. Keith grabbed onto Lance’s hair as he let the android suck him off.

It was tight, and hot inside Lance’s mouth. Keith knew he could thrust upwards and fuck into the droid’s throat, but he wouldn’t do that. If they were going to take this step, there was no way Keith was going to just use Lance like some machine to get off. It was hard not to though, as Lance’s skill was beyond anything Keith had ever experienced before. Even though the android didn’t have any saliva, he still managed to make everything feel slick. Keith cursed as Lance took him completely to the base, heat almost unbearable. And the seductive look Keith received as Lance pulled back once more almost sent him over the edge.

Keith didn’t want to come like that though, and stopped Lance before he got too close. He pulled Lance up for another searing kiss, tasting himself inside Lance’s mouth. The kiss was sloppy, and passionate, and everything they needed in that moment. All the built-up stress from the past few days all came crashing down to this. Keith rolled them over so that Lance was once again on his back, staring up at him with hooded eyes. Keith leaned down and kissed the side of Lance’s cheek. “I want you…Can I please?”

Lance moaned softly into Keith’s ear and rolled his hips against Keith’s. Lance moved his fingers down and sunk two of them inside his hole, whimpering lightly as he did so. Keith kissed him as Lance fingered himself; it wasn’t that he needed too, but the feeling was overwhelmingly amazing that he just couldn’t help himself. Keith had to will himself not to cum, that they were just getting started and there was so much more they could do together. But the sight of Lance, who held absolutely no shame in his body, opening himself up for Keith was incredible. It would be playing in Keith’s fantasy for years to come, he was sure.

The kiss was broken with a soft gasp. Lance blinked up at Keith, eyes slightly clouded. “Please…I need you.”

Keith didn’t have to be told twice, still barely being able to hold himself back from climax. He lined himself up into Lance’s hole and pushed inside. It was tight, and warmer than he had anticipated; Keith almost came instantly. Even without lubricant, Keith could move with ease, pushing deeper inside the gasping droid below him. Lance released a drawn-out moan as Keith sunk his cock in completely. He knew he didn’t have to wait, but he did anyway; trying to calm himself down so as not to come too early.

“Keith!!” Lance whined, bucking his own hips up to make Keith move.

Keith obliged, pulling out most of the way before plunging back inside. Lance cried out and held onto Keith tightly as Keith slowly thrust into him. Keith brought his mouth down to Lance’s face and kissed everywhere he could but his mouth. It wasn’t until Lance whined that Keith kissed him on the lips once again, sloppily running his tongue along the android’s.

The pace was kept slow, even with Lance trying to egg him on. Keith wanted to take his time, to really feel Lance. He may not be the type of person to convey his emotions verbally, but he would absolutely try to get how he felt across in body language. Lance seemed to settle into the pace eventually, and even their kisses became less sloppy. It was caring, and gentle. Just feeling one another, and being connected on an entirely different level.

Maybe this wasn’t what they should be doing, maybe Keith should have let Lance go into the living room. Maybe he was crazy for waiting this long to experience this, and maybe he was in too deep. As he thrust just a little harder, and a little faster, all the maybes didn’t matter. All that mattered there and now was how the two of them were connected, and how good it felt to be together. Lance breathily gasped Keith’s name, and that was the end of Keith’s ability to hold back.

Keith came with a grunt, pulling out to come against Lance’s thigh rather than inside. Lance moaned and bucked up, his own erection flagging as Keith’s cum hit his leg; as if he dryly ejaculated himself. Keith was breathing hard and flopped down on Lance, making sure that at least some of him if not most was touching the cool body. Lance held him loosely, running fingers through Keith’s messy hair.

He began to nod off, exhausted after everything that had just transpired. As he was falling asleep, Keith heard Lance speak softly-like he thought Keith was already asleep and didn’t want to be heard. “You mean so much to me…I don’t want to ever lose you. I-I don’t know if I can really feel, but I think I’m in love with you. That must be what this is…”

Keith knew he could take this opportunity and confess that he felt the same, that he didn’t know if it as crazy to be in love with an android, but yet, he inexplicably was head over heels for Lance. In such a short amount of time, the android and wormed his way into Keith’s heart like he was always supposed to be there. Keith didn’t want to let him go, yet was scared of what would happen if he verbally confessed to his own feelings. Instead, he kept his eyes closed and drifted off to sleep.

Tomorrow was another day and maybe, just maybe, Keith could tell Lance how he felt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Where am I? Who are you people? Hunk? Hunk!! What’s going on?!" - And that would be what Lance said in Spanish. As far as google translate has said anyway. I cannot speak Spanish at all. So if any one that's fluent has corrections, I'd be grateful!
> 
> Also, please note, that this is the ONLY sex scene that I have planned for this fic. Planned being the key word. I plan lots of things, and change them on a constant basis. Like giving the android a name before this chapter....wasn't supposed to happen. Was always just supposed to go to Lance, but that got tiring so Chance was added. 
> 
> Hope that was enjoyable at least! Things really take off from here on! And yes, that Ghost in the Shell reference was intentional, as I thought it was funny. 
> 
> Come chat to me on Tumblr, if you so desire. I'm raequaza there as well. 
> 
> Thank you for reading, and as always I am eternally grateful for comments and kudos. They help fuel me. 
> 
> Until next time!


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay guys, things have been rather...stressful over on my end lately.
> 
> That being said, they won't be improving any time soon either. So chapters will be even more sporadic than normal. Super stress causes shitty depression and its just all around not good. I will try and write if I can though, I promise.
> 
> So without further delay, a big thanks and lots of love to my beta callmesinpai, and I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Keith woke the next morning alone, the smell of bacon cooking wafting through his door. He lay in bed for a while, still a little tired, and mulling over what he was going to say to Lance. Was he just supposed to tell Lance that he had been awake and heard Lance say he loved him. After that he wasn’t sure how he should go about talking about his own feelings.

He was pretty positive, beyond explanation, that he was in love with Lance as well. How he let himself fall for an android was a little confusing, but it was no less true. Lance may not be a real flesh and blood human being, but Keith still counted him as alive; as a person who clearly had feelings. Maybe it was programing, but maybe there was more to it. Keith absolutely thought it was possible that artificial intelligence could learn to grow their own consciousness, and maybe that’s what happened with Lance.

However, Keith couldn’t deny the things that happened with Hunk the previous day. Lance had clearly called out to his friend before snapping back to the android that Keith knew. That was concerning on a ton of levels. They still had absolutely no idea why he did that, and if he would do that again. Maybe he had implanted memories, or maybe Keith had been right about the brain thing; though he _really_ hoped he was super wrong.

Mulling things around in bed wasn’t going to give him any answers, and he knew it. Keith knew he wouldn’t be able to pretend he was sleeping for long. He got up, putting on his boxers, and couldn’t deny that he felt a little better-physically. Last night relieved some of the tension from his body, and he couldn’t deny it definitely helped over all.

Lance was all but dancing around the kitchen, dressed in his pyjamas, as he cooked. Keith smiled as he slowly padded over to one of the stools at his island. Sitting down, Lance turned and shot him a dazzling smile. “Morning!”

“Morning, Lance. Feeling any better?” Keith asked.

Lance nodded and poured Keith some coffee. Keith was going to tell him it was unnecessary, but he just looked so happy that Keith kept quiet. With coffee in hand, Keith just watched the android cook. It was just bacon, eggs and pan-fried potatoes, but it wasn’t something unusual and there wasn’t a crazy amount of food. Both were signs that Lance was back to how he first had been when Keith found him. He would have to wait and see if the tremors had actually stopped, but for now he seemed fine.

Lance served him breakfast and it was amazing. The android hummed a tune as he cleaned up his mess from breakfast as Keith ate. It wasn’t a song Keith had heard before, but he liked the tune and it seemed to make Lance happy. If Lance was happy, then Keith was happy.

As soon as breakfast was finished, and the dishes put away, Keith was back at the issue he was facing when he woke up. When does he tell Lance what he heard last night, and in turn how he felt about the android? At the same time though, he was terrified of doing just that. He knew it was unlikely Lance would ever reject him no matter what, but at the same time, he really wanted to know if it was just Lance’s program telling him he was in love with Keith rather than actual feelings. Until they sorted that out, maybe it would be better not to say anything.

That being said, not saying anything was difficult for him to do. Lance looked so happy, and cuter than he normally did. All Keith wanted to do was grab him and kiss him again. He could still feel Lance’s lips on his own - he craved the feeling once more. However, he knew once he crossed that line he wouldn’t be able to keep his emotions to himself. So he sat on his couch, television on, trying not to be so consciously aware of the droid next to him.

Things were going well for a while. They were watching a mystery hunter show, and Lance seemed to be in to it. Keith kept telling himself that he could easily keep his emotions to himself for now, he had for many years, and that as soon as they found some solid proof on how Lance was made, then he could make a definitive decision on how to proceed. Though if he was being honest with himself, he would probably love Lance no matter if Lance’s love wasn’t real and just some code.

It wasn’t until Lance decided to cuddle up against Keith on the couch that all his previous hard work was tested. The feeling of Lance against him was comforting, and safe. He wanted this, and so much more. If Lance wanted the same, that was. He’d never do anything Lance didn’t want. Though the programming might interfere at times, Keith was certain he’d be able to tell if Lance was being Lance, or if he was just doing what he was designed to do.

Keith was about to say fuck it, and just bring everything up, when his phone rang; shrill tone breaking the comfortable atmosphere. Keith sighed and headed to his room to get his phone. He recognised the number as Allura’s and answered right away. “Hey, Allura. Got news?”

“Yes, Slav should be here in an hour or so. There wasn’t much to go over, but he found a few things of interest. Get here as soon as you can. After we’ve learned everything, we’ll discuss where we take things from there.”

Keith was surprised that Slav got through all the data so fast, but shouldn’t be all the surprised if he was supposed to be considered a genius. “You got it. We’ll be right there.”

Both Lance and Keith were still in their sleepwear, but that didn’t last for long as soon as Keith told Lance they were going to Allura’s. He had never seen the android move so fast; probably just as eager to get dressed and learn whatever Slav found as Keith was.

After they were dressed, they walked as fast as they could to catch the bus. Shiro was working and not able to respond to his phone, and Pidge was probably still asleep. They’d get their texts eventually, and head over as soon as they could. But for now, Keith wasn’t as concerned about his brother or best friend being with them in this moment. All that mattered was getting the answers they desperately needed.

They managed to catch the bus just before it left the stop, and headed towards their destination. No bus went directly to the area that Allura’s shop was in, as it was a bit off the main street, but Keith knew of a few ways to get there from the area the bus did drop them off. The fastest way was through a series of alleyways. As soon as Keith and Lance got off the bus, Keith grasped Lance by the hand and pulled him in the right direction. They could have just as easily gone up a block and over a few, but that would take too long.

They were just in the second to last ally when Keith got an awful feeling in his gut, like something very wrong was about to happen. He wanted to push past it and ignore it, but his intuition usually wasn’t wrong. If his gut feeling told him he was headed into a bad situation, he was usually right. Unfortunately, the alley didn’t give him much of an option. He could go forward, or backwards, and his mind screamed that both weren’t a great situation. He didn’t see any threats ahead, and he didn’t want to risk looking behind, so he pushed forward; Praying that for once, his gut instinct was wrong.

As soon as they made it into the center of the alley, it became very apparent that Keith’s instinct was spot on as it always was. A black car pulled up to block the alleyway in front. Keith quickly made to turn, but another car back right into the entrance. They were trapped. Keith tightened his grip on Lance’s hand and pulled him close. He rapidly looked around to see if they could get away from this situation, but all the fire escapes were up and he wouldn’t have enough time to get them down and them both up.

The doors to the cars opened simultaneously. Four big stereotypical bodyguard looking men stepped out of one car, while three of the same sort stepped out of the other, followed by a tall blond man wearing a mask. Keith heard Lance’s sharp intake of breath at the sight of this man, but even without that indicator, Keith had already figured out who they were dealing with.

Lance’s previous master.

He was just how Lance had described him, and he could all but feel the malice emanating from the man stalking towards them. “Well, well, look what we have here. Do you know how _difficult_ it was to track you down?”

Keith glared at the man walking to them. If he couldn’t escape, then he was going straight into fight mode. “Then why bother, douchebag? It’s clear you didn’t want him since you threw him out.”

The man’s eyes narrowed under his mask. “Because, with this defective piece of trash running about, I cannot have another, _better_ one built. Him being active ruins all my fun. He’s such a pretty face, but far too strong willed for my tastes.”

Keith didn’t think before he charged at the man, fist raised. Two men flanked him and took him down in seconds. One knelt on his back and placed a gun to his head. Keith still looked up at the man in front of him, far too pompous for Keith’s liking. The man smiled and waved. “Sendak, secure my pet will you?”

The biggest of the men grunted and grabbed Lance firmly by the arm. Lance struggled to get away, pulling and hitting the brute who held him. He looked towards Keith, laying on the ground at his previous master’s mercy. “Keith…”

Keith couldn’t help but try and turn his head towards the helpless droid. There was a laugh, and Keith’s attention was forcibly brought back to Lance’s old master via a polished boot under his chin. “So, your name is Keith, huh? Well Keith, I have to say, its so unfortunate that you had to get involved in this mess. See I asked two of my men to do a simple task and disassemble a faulty droid, and throw it out. I certainly didn’t expect some nosy wimp to find and fix said droid before my new one was built. Him being active caused my new toy to internally combust! Now I need a new one, and that’s going to take a little while. My lovely, dedicated, scientists work hard, but perfection does take time. And I don’t settle for anything less than perfection.”

Keith was about to retort but the burly man on him dug his knee deeper into Keith’s back, so all his managed was a grunt. It took a few seconds before he was able to get enough air to speak. “I won’t let you take him!”

“You are in no position to be making those claims, pretty little thief. I seem to have the upper hand here, and it will be very hard for you to track us down once you’re dead.” The man cackled.

Keith heard the gun click, and he closed his eyes. He knew one day he was going to get himself into more trouble than he would be able to handle, and it seemed like today was that day. He felt like a failure. He couldn’t help Lance, and he couldn’t save either of them right now. He was useless, and now he was going to die-alone in the middle of a deserted alley.

“Wait!! Please!” Keith could hear the cracking of Lance’s voice. There was a light thud behind him. “Master, please. I will go with you…quiet, and willingly, if you spare his life.”

There was a scoff, and Keith opened his eyes to see the displeased look on the man’s face. “And why should I listen to you? You don’t have any authority.”

“You’re right, I am but a slave. Your slave, master. But I ask only one small favor. Isn’t this way easier? Then you won’t get any blood on your clothes, and there will be no body to try and clean up.”

This didn’t seem to sway the man at all. Lance tried again. “If you let him live, you can do whatever you want to me, and I will be compliant. Even when you deactivate me again, I will do so without a fight. I won’t make a fuss here, and alert anyone that might be around either. So please, just don’t kill him.”

There was a sigh, and the man left Keith’s field of vision. “I never could resist those eyes. It’s why I’m so set on having the perfect version of you, kitten.”

With a snap of his fingers, the weight off Keith’s back was removed and he was hauled up to face the masked man once more. “You get off this time. But I wouldn’t bother trying to track me down, I’m untouchable even if you did manage by some miracle to piece together who I am.”

Keith wanted to headbutt the dude in the face, and made to do so, but there was a sudden pain to the back of his head and his vision went blurry, without the men holding him up, he would have collapsed on the ground. The man grabbed his chin and made him look right at him. He was talking, but it was hard to make things out. “-shame, you’re such a pretty thing. I could have made a killing in a droid with your features.”

The man whistled and Lance was at his side in and instant. His previous master grabbed Lance’s hair roughly and pulled him into a bruising, messy kiss. Keith could just barely see the distraught look on Lance’s face as he allowed the other man to force his tongue down his throat.

That was the last thing Keith saw before there was another blow to the back of his head, and then it was lights out.

 

When Keith woke up, four very concerned faces came wavering into view. “Keith!!”

All he could do was groan and wait for them all to come back into focus. The back of his head was pounding, and all he wanted to do was go back to sleep. The four around him were bickering about giving him space, taking him to a real hospital, and just staying put. He lay there for what felt like an hour before getting the willpower to sit up. Everything was still spinning slightly, but at least he could still move.

Shiro’s hand was on his shoulder. “Hey, you shouldn’t move around to much. You got hit in the head really hard.”

“Yeah…definitely got that. Head is fucking killing me,” He looked around and tried to find a clock, or even his phone, but came up empty. “How long have I been out?”

Coran stepped in to explain. “Well, after Allura called and you didn’t show up, we got a little worried. We called, but it went straight to voicemail. About an hour passed after when you should have arrived, and no sign. We called your brother and Pidge, but they hadn’t heard from you either than your text earlier.”

“So, we all went looking for you. That took about another hour before Coran found you in the alley under some garbage bags.” Pidge chipped in.

“And you’ve been here for about three hours. So, you’ve been out for five hours or so.” Allura finished, looking a little more than stressed.

Keith sat on the table for a while longer, processing everything he had been told. He scanned the room, Slav was in a corner of the room, fiddling around with a gadget and paying no attention to the others in the room. |Hunk was looking relieved to see Keith fine, but it was evident he had been crying and wasn’t sure if he should settle on still being sad or angry. Keith continued to scan the room, until he remembered why he had been heading to Allura’s place in the first place. “Oh god! Lance!! Fuck! His old master found us, and took him!”

“Did you see his face? Maybe caught a licence plate number or a badge? Even a tattoo would be helpful!” Allura questioned.

Keith shook his head, which he realized was a bad idea because that hurt a lot. “Mind is still a little fuzzy, but bastard was wearing a mask and their licence plate numbers weren’t visible. No tattoos or anything to identify the people. I think I got a name of one of the big bodyguards? Sendak or something.”

“Okay, well we can try and work with that. I’ve got a friend in Altea Police Department that owes me a favor.” Coran was out the door with his phone in hand after that.

Shiro was handing a bottle of water to Keith, and trying to get him to drink something, but Keith was currently freaking out. Lance had been taken, and there was nothing he could do about it. For all he knew, Sendak wasn’t a real name and they would get no where with finding Lance again; before it was too late. Now that Keith knew that bastard was planning on getting a new version and dismantling the current one, it made the rush to try and find Lance that much more serious.

He could hear Shiro talking to him, but couldn’t quite understand what his brother was saying. He seemed so far away, yet he knew his brother was close. It was hard to breathe, like no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t get enough air, and he could feel himself shaking. Keith could hear Hunk say something in a low tone to Shiro, and then he was wrapped in Shiro’s arms, being held tight. “It’s okay Keith. Just breathe. You’re having a panic attack, and you need to breathe.”

“I-I can’t! L-Lance!! H-He’s gone, Shiro! I co-couldn’t save him!” Keith was gasping for breath, voice cracking on his words.

Shiro just held him close, and reminded him to keep breathing. He was safe there, and they would save Lance too, but right now he needed to breathe. Pidge stayed close, while Allura and Hunk backed off. They knew they weren’t close enough to Keith to be able to calm him down in this situation. Allura took to giving some light comfort to Hunk, who was still very upset that his one link to finding out what happened to his best friend had been snatched away.

Once Keith calmed down, he took the water from Shiro and downed it. He slid off the table and walked towards Hunk and Allura. “Sorry.”

Allura smiled lightly at him. “Don’t apologise. We all understand. You were attacked and had someone important taken from you. That was a very natural response.”

Keith still felt embarrassed for the scene. He knew he couldn’t have helped it, but they had so many more things to worry about without having to worry about someone freaking out. Keith loved over at Slav, who was still tinkering. “We need to find Lance, and we need to find him soon.  That douchebag told me he was going to be dismantling him within a few days.”

Allura looked to Slav, who was not at least half paying attention to them. “Slav, could you tell us what you found, please?”

Slav hopped off his chair and pulled out his laptop, like he had just been waiting for someone to talk to him. “Well, there wasn’t much. I was able to locate an additional source of power for the android. Pidge mentioned she noticed motion kept the droid charged, but in addition to that, he is also run by solar panels. There aren’t many, and they are small; they make up his fingernails.”

“Great, sunlight also charges him. Anything else that’s, I don’t know, actually useful!?” Keith knew he was being rude, but didn’t care. How Lance kept charged was irrelevant at this moment in time.

Slav looked a little put off by Keith’s attitude, but pressed on. A quick glance to Pidge gave him the satisfaction that at least _someone_ was interested in his find. “In addition, I found something rather intriguing. He only has the small chip in him, otherwise, it appears his program is being transmitted into the android from an unknown location.”

Pidge moved closer to look at the data on Slav’s laptop. “So rather than a larger chip, he has a receiver in his head? And someone-probably his previous master-is sending the programming over from somewhere, into Lance’s receiver?”

Slav nodded. “It’s quite fascinating, really. But unfortunately, the person or people who set this up were intelligent. They’ve bounced the signal all over, not just Altea, but around the world. It would be near impossible to narrow it down, and even if I could, it would take well over the time you want.”

Basically that meant, to Keith’s understanding, there was no way to figure out where Lance was being kept using the data Slav had, nor could they find out anything about the real Lance either. It was a dead end, and Keith still felt just a helpless as he did in the alley. He wanted to scream, and throw things, but he knew that would do absolutely no good at all; for anyone. Keith noticed Hunk move to sit in one of the chairs against the wall, hands over his face, defeated.

“So, we’ve got nothing then?” Shiro asked, keeping an eye on Keith’s mood.

Coran came back into the room, looking just as grim as the rest of them. “Well, we have something. That being said, it may not help us any.”

“Anything helps at this point Coran. We’ll decide what we do from here once you’ve told us what Ulaz had to say.” Allura noted.

Coran sighed. “We ran the name Sendak. It’s a first name, not a last name, and thankfully very uncommon. There are only three people in the city with that name, and two of them do not fit the description of ‘big’, especially since one of them is an eighty year old man, and the other is sixteen.”

“So you found the right one?” There was a hint of hope in Keith’s voice. A picture was produced, and Keith was ecstatic to see he was looking at the man who took hold of Lance. “Yes! That’s him!”

Coran nodded, but still didn’t look happy. “I was afraid so. Sendak Legir, aged forty one, currently working as a personal bodyguard for none other than the son of one of the wealthiest men in the city.”

Allura’s previously composed expression was gone in an instant. Instead, she looked furious. “Coran…do not tell me, that the man who took Lance is…”

“None other than Lotor Galra, son of Zarkon Galra.” Coran said lowly, looking downcast.

There was a rage that burned in Allura’s eyes that frightened the others in the room. Enough that even Hunk took a few steps away from the seething woman. “That man…”

“Allura? What’s the deal with the Zarkon Galra person?” Hunk questioned tiredly. There was only so much he could handle anymore.

Allura was still to furious to answer, unable to speak without losing her cool. Thankfully, Shiro had a small idea. “I know that Zarkon Galra is the founder of Galra Incorporated, the biggest company in all of Altea and the surrounding area. He pretty much owns more than half the city, and has one of the biggest tech companies in the state.”

Hunk groaned and scrubbed his face with his hands. “Well that’s just fucking great! We can’t just go up to one of the richest men in the country and ask about where he or his son might be keeping a sex android about, and where my friend who clearly influenced the design may have gone! So basically, we’re still back to having _nothing_! No Lance, no Lance looking android, we’ve got absolutely _nothing!!_ ”

Coran nodded sadly and showed yet another picture to Keith, turning from the fuming Hunk. “Does this man look vaguely like the one who took Lance?”

The picture showed a tall man with straight, long blond hair, looking all too smug. While he had been wearing a mask at the time, Keith had no doubts in his mind that his man was Lance’s previous master. He nodded sharply, narrowing his eyes at the man’s photo in front of him. Coran sighed heavily. “I was afraid so. That confirms that it was in fact Lotor Galra that took Lance and hurt you. And yes, that does mean we’re more than a little screwed.”

“He was going to kill me! He had one of his goons put a gun to my head! If Lance hadn’t intervened and begged for my life…” Keith trailed off, since he really didn’t think he had to say more.

There was a bang, and the group turned to see Allura had punched the wall. “I have been after Zarkon Galra and his son for years! Zarkon is behind my father’s murder, I’m sure of it, but there has never been enough solid evidence to put him away-in fact there’s never been evidence at all. He’s careful, and he covers his tracks. If his son took Lance, then we may have very little chance of getting him back.”

Keith was incredibly shocked and angry that Allura could just give up like that, especially when it was something clearly very important to her. “So we go after them for this! If we can prove that Zarkon, or even his son, have anything to do with making these androids, then maybe we can keep them detained long enough to get the proof you need of your father being murdered.”

“If there is any left! He could have completely erased any interaction he had with my father! I have a contact in the manor that has been trying to help me these past years, but even he hasn’t come across anything.” Allura was fuming, clearly getting frustrated at Keith’s suggestions. “Besides, making androids is not illegal, so I doubt there would be enough to hold either of them in the first place.”

“Actually,” Slav piped up, “While it is not illegal to create androids, it must be in a government inspected facility, and it must have either a military, or service purpose. While droids like Lance may barely classify as service, their chips would need to be inspected, and he does not have one-nor a panel to access it. So, his type of android would not pass inspection.”

Allura stared at him, processing the idea that maybe after all this time, she might be able to get something on her greatest foe. Keith took Slav’s words as a great sign. “Well there you have it! If we can get proof of Lance, and possibly other androids like Lance since you can definitely buy them, than we can at least get them for that. Then the cops would have to search all of Zarkon’s personal financials. Even if it’s just Lotor’s, at least its something to get a start into taking this man down.”

The calculating gaze seemed to come back into Allura’s eyes. “That may not be a bad idea. If I can just get in touch with my inside man, we may have a shot.”

“So, did your inside man not maybe mention that Lotor was keeping an android that just _happens_ to look like my best friend around!? Or did you just not contact him about my missing friend!? You know, because someone who works for scum having this information might be, and clearly was, really fucking important!” Hunk snapped, brow furrowed and arms crossed.

Allura sighed. “I only asked Thace to give my information as it pertains to my father. I very rarely contact him so as not to draw suspicion. I had intended to use Thace as a last resort to track down the real Lance if we hadn’t gotten anywhere by the end of the month. I am sorry that I did not act sooner.”

Hunk still seemed furious, but he didn’t press it. It was understandable that he was upset that Allura hadn’t check through every avenue originally. He did get her side, of course, that it was a safety hazard for both parties involved. If the Galras were the type of people to threaten lives and even kill others, then it would definitely be dangerous if either Allura or her inside man Thace were caught.

“So what do we do now?” Shiro asked.

“I contact Thace and get back to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, I don’t suggest that it is safe to go back to your house Keith. Zarkon has a lot of pull, and if his son wanted to find out where you live, or where you work, then I can promise you it will happen. It is probably not safe for you either, Shiro.”

“Where do you suggest we go then?” Keith asked.

Coran clasped a hand on Keith’s shoulder. “Well, it’s not much, but I have a place you, your brother, and Pidge can stay in.”

“I’m in danger too?” Pidge asked.

“It’s a possibility,” Allura responded. “We’d rather be safe than sorry if anything.”

Pidge shrugged. “I’ve got no repairs for the time being, so I guess I can close the shop for a vacation or something.”

“I suppose I can call Ryan and ask to take my vacation time…” Shiro added, though seeming rather disappointed he wouldn’t be able to go to work for the time being.

Keith thought about what he was going to do before speaking. “I’ll quit my job. It’s about time I find something different anyway.”

With that, there was nothing more that could be done for the time being. Slav left, saying that he would not be available for a while until this all blew over. He was over cautious about dangerous situations, and this one was basically screaming at him to run. No one blamed him of course, and they all thanked him for the help he had provided.

Hunk went upstairs to be alone for a while. There was a lot of new information to process, and the loss of the android Lance was taking it’s toll on him, and he was still furious that there had been one more person Allura could have contacted and it maybe would have gotten them closer to finding his friend. He said if anyone needed him just to call, but the tone of his voice suggested that he would rather they didn’t call for a while. Unless they got some new information, that was.

Keith, Shiro and Pidge all made their respective calls, and then followed Coran to a quaint house just a few blocks outside the main part of the town. He said he would arrange for some people to go to their places and get anything they may want to make themselves at home. They each gave him a list, which was mostly clothes, and then Coran was gone.

It was late, and Keith was exhausted. He picked a room, and he flopped down on the too soft bed. When he closed his eyes, all he could see was Lotor kissing Lance, and the distraught look on the android’s face as he kissed back. He opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. Things were bad, and it didn’t look like they could get better any time soon. He only hoped that Thace would come through for them, and they would be able to get to Lance before it was too late.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My beta mentioned to me that Hunk wasn't panicky enough. And she is right, however I was more going for Hunk being angry rather tan panicky. Like he's just so damn done with panic mode that he's now switched to anger. Hope that came through alright
> 
> And yay Lotor? Gonna be interesting to write with a character I know nothing about. But making him a huge tool seems about right.
> 
> Thank you for reading. Comments and kudos always loved and appriciated.   
> Find me on tumblr @ raequaza if you so desire. Mostly just reblog a lot of gay shit. and cats. 
> 
> Until next time


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, well I know it's been a while, but my life has been terribly hectic. I know I said that last chapter but that hasn't changed. BUT, I will not let that stop me from writing, so without further ado!
> 
> A huge thanks to my beta, callmesinpai, for edits and telling me when I'm rushing things too much. 
> 
> This is about half way or so guys! Hope you enjoy

The next morning, the team was all standing around Allura’s office. Keith hadn’t slept well the previous night, and it didn’t look like Allura slept at all. Her hair was a mess and there were dark circles under her eyes. She had explained, a little snippily, that she waited all night for Thace to contact her. It turns out the sacrifice of sleep paid off. Thace had come through for her.

“Thace said that he hadn’t really been aware of Lance’s existence before we had him, and he unfortunately is unaware at this time about the real Lance. He was previously assigned to guard the wing of the manor that Zarkon resided in, and thus had very little interactions with Lotor.” Allura started.

Shiro nodded. “Okay, so how does that help us now?”

“He had now been promoted to be one of the head guards. As such, he’s learned a little more about the things going on in the manor, and he was able to move around without questions. Thace has mentioned that yes, Lance is there, as is the replacement droid. He has yet to see the scientist in charge, as he is snuck in the building to work and then snuck back out.”

“So, we break into the manor and get him. Let’s go.” Keith said, already heading towards the door.

Coran stepped in front of it with a shake of his head. “Sorry, but that is not a good idea.”

Keith scowled and was about to forcibly remove Coran from his path, but Allura spoke up. “Actually, that is exactly what we’re going to do. However, not right this moment. We need a plan first, as we cannot just go charging into the manor without one.”

Hunk, who had been standing silently in the corner, gave a huff. “Do you _have_ a plan?”

Allura didn’t mind that Hunk was being a little less than his friendly self. He looked like he hadn’t gotten much sleep either, and she assumed that he was still salty about the previous day. She tried to give him a soft smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “In a way. Thace has given us a way in, but we must have patient. Zarkon is hosting a masquerade ball in two days’ time. It’s an annual party, and the guest list is ever growing. Thace will get at least five of us in there, but after that he doesn’t know if he can be of much help. He knows that Lance is being kept in the manor somewhere, but has yet to find his exact location.”

“So once we get in, unless Thace contacts you and tells you otherwise, we’re basically searching the whole house.” Keith commented, sourly.

Allura nodded. “Unfortunately, most of the rooms do not have cameras installed in them, only in the halls. I’m going to try and see if Slav will help with the camera aspect.”

“Eh, don’t bother,” Pidge piped up. “I’m more than capable of doing it, and since we can only get five people in anyway, this suits me fine.”

Allura finally smiled, the first genuine one since the previous day. “That’s wonderful Pidge, thank you. For now, we need to work on disguises and Thace will give us names once I let him know the people that will be infiltrating the manor. So, is everyone here alright to go inside? I don’t particularly like the idea of involving civilians in dangerous missions, but I don’t think I would be able to stop you from going in either way. Might as well do it with some back up.”

“I’m definitely going.” Keith stated.

Hunk sighed. “If it means getting any leads on my friend, then count me in.”

“And I go where Keith goes.” Shiro noted, giving his brother a tight squeeze of reassurance on his shoulder.

“Of course I’m game! I’d love to take Zarkon and his son down nearly as much as you!” Coran chirped, grinning at Allura.

She gave them all a bright smile and hugs-though Hunk was a little more reluctant; he still let her. The broke apart for the day, though there wasn’t much for Pidge, Shiro, and Keith to do since they weren’t going to work and couldn’t go home. The safe house was quiet when they arrived, as expected, but when they entered their rooms, they noticed their things had been delivered. Keith didn’t ask for much, just some of his clothes and the picture of his mother that was still in it’s shattered frame.

He sat on the edge of his temporary bed, and stared at the photograph. He missed his mother every day, and now more than ever the loneliness was nearly suffocating. He didn’t hear the door open, but knew it had to have been Shiro who sat down on the bed beside him. Shiro said nothing, just pulled Keith into a tight one-armed hug. Keith didn’t ask how Shiro knew, and he didn’t think he had to. He leaned his head against his brother’s shoulder and relaxed into the hold. He normally wasn’t a cuddly person, but this was one of two exceptions. The second being trapped somewhere and having god knows what to him. Just the mere thought that Lotor might be harming Lance as they sat there made Keith’s blood boil and his heart ache. He didn’t want to talk about it, all he wanted was Lance back. Shiro respected this, and stayed with him until Keith’s exhaustion caught up on him and he fell asleep on Shiro’s shoulder.

 

 

It was the night of the ball and Keith was standing outside the lavish Galra manor with Hunk at his side. It was determined that he and Hunk would go in together, then Shiro with Allura, and finally Coran would enter alone. Each of them had been given a name that would be on the guest list, and a disguise to go with it. Keith felt ridiculous with the red mask on his face, and the short red-brown wig on his head. It was itchy, and he wasn’t used to having his hair so short in the back. But Allura insisted that they all wear wigs, as it would help throw off any suspicion. Lotor knew what Keith looked like, and Zarkon knew what Allura looked like, so the two of them absolutely had to; but the other three were made to just in case.

Hunk didn’t look too bad with his short spiked light blond hair. It wasn’t as close to platinum as Lotor’s was, but it was close. His mask was golden, and it suited him well. Allura chose a brilliant red wig; it wasn’t a flashy colour, but it definitely caught the eye. She chose a pink mask, and it went well with her blue gown. The men all wore standard black tuxedos, so only Allura had to put a little more time in what she was going to wear.

Coran went with a dark chestnut wig, about the same length. It suited him very well, and he had managed to even get a hold of temporary dye for his mustache. His mask was orange though, despite Allura trying to coax him into picking one of a subtler colour. Surprisingly Keith found that the orange wasn’t the most shocking colour at the ball, so they really didn’t have much to worry about.

Shiro had taken some time to find a wig that suited him. Eventually they settled on a long black wig, and he looked just like he had before he had gone off to the military. They covered up his scar with makeup, and had him wear gloves to make his metal arm less obvious. Thace had made a note against Shiro’s name that there were metal pins all along his arm and that it would be the cause for the detector to go off. The guards would pat down his arm just in case, but they shouldn’t have an issue after that. Shiro’s mask was black with white along the edge.

Each of them had an ear piece that couldn’t be detected by scanners that they could use to communicate with Pidge. She was situated in a van a few blocks down, and ready to go whenever they gave the word. She had access to all the video feeds currently, and would let them know when they could move and where patrolling guards were. She could shut down cameras and change the feeds as needed.

Keith was standing in line among the rest of the guests-though they were really supposed to be here and not just infiltrating like Keith and his friends were. He didn’t like the entire situation, but he would do whatever it took to get Lance back. Women looked at both him and Hunk appreciatively and Keith internally moaned about the number of rich women who would probably ask him for a dance. Allura had made it very clear that they needed to blend in and that dancing was the best way to do that.

Getting inside went smoother than they had anticipated. It seemed like the guards were completely bored and only put a minimal effort in checking people over. They hadn’t even scanned Shiro’s arm at all; having a note that the ‘pins in his arm’ would set it off. Inside they tried to keep their distance from each other. If they hadn’t gone in together, they were not supposed to interact right away; that could seem a little suspicious.

Keith was a bundle of anxiety, and as such, barely even registered that he was being asked to dance the second he entered the lavish ballroom. He gave the most charming smile he could muster-as forces as it was- and took the woman’s offer. Hunk was asked a few moments later, much to his personal surprise. Keith was only a little bit jealous that formal dancing seemed to just come naturally to Hunk; Keith had taken a few quick lessons from Allura so as not to embarrass himself once he got in the manor.

So far he was doing alright, but he could barely keep his focus on the doe-eyed girl in his arms. He kept looking around the room, noting the number of guards and where they were stationed, as well as look for the hosts of the party. He knew both Zarkon and Lotor had to be around, but Keith was a lot less interested in the eldest Galra. If Lotor caught sight of them, it could be bad. Their disguises were very good, but Lotor was intelligent and none of them could say for certain if he wouldn’t be able to recognize Keith anyway.

When the first song ended, Keith was swept away by another woman who was just as eager to gain Keith’s sole attention. He did feel the littlest bit bad for seeming like he could give women any hope of a chance with him. Even without his heart being taken, women just weren’t his type. He did his best to feign even the slightest interest in the partner he was dancing with, but found he could only keep his attention to them for so long.

Finally, Keith was able to slip away while three girls were having a hushed argument about who would dance with Keith next. He hid himself in a corner of the room, scanning around for any of the other members of the team. His watch vibrated-signalling it was time to turn on their communicators. They all had different styles of watches that Pidge had modified. It was used mostly for GPS along with its actual purpose. To make their small com pieces more undetectable, Pidge made some adjustments to the standard design.

Keith’s was in a small fake earring. He was wearing two, but only one worked as a communicator to Pidge. There was a slight hum before he heard Pidge’s voice chirp through the line. “Hello Keith, nice of you to join the rest of us.”

Keith rolled his eyes, not that she could see. She probably set his watch to go off a few seconds after everyone else’s just so she could lighten the mood; as well a bug him. “Yeah yeah. Got any leads on when we can sneak out?”

Keith’s voice was low, but he knew Pidge would hear him. “Mm soon. The guards don’t seem too attentive when they are changing shifts, so I’d say give it a few, and then head where you want to go.”

“I’ll go with Hunk upstairs, we can cover a lot of ground between the two of us.” Allura added-even though they had worked out the pain before they came into the manor. “Coran will take the main floor.”

“Roger that, Allura.”

Keith’s eyes met Shiro’s for a brief moment. “And my brother and I will go to the basement.”

“Once you’re done there, help Coran on the main floor.” Allura commanded.

They had received blueprints of the manor from Thace, so each were able to plot out where they could hide and how many rooms to check. The basement was the smallest of the areas. Coran was originally supposed to go their himself, but once they realized that there would be a lot more guards on the main floor, it was decided that someone with more experience in stealthily sneaking around should start with the hardest floor.

Allura and Hunk snuck away first, followed by Coran. Each of them noted they had made it to their areas without being seen, but there was definitely a large presence of guards walking about-patrolling the halls and checking rooms ever so often. Keith snuck away before Shiro, but they ended up meeting in the same hall towards the basement. The door was normally locked according to Thace, but the spy had managed to unlock it for them.

“I’ve found Lotor’s room. I think, anyway. No signs of anything strange here” Hunk said.

“And I’ve located Zarkon’s office.” They could all hear the venom in her voice. They knew that Lance wasn’t her only priority, and as long as she didn’t get them all caught, they weren’t going to tell her to stay focused on the mission.

Coran made a few slight noises as he moved around, and Keith swore he may have heard the theme to Mission Impossible at some point. “Nothing out of the ordinary on my end.”

That left Shiro and Keith’s area. They were thankful for Pidge watching the cameras and telling them when to move, or else they would have been caught by now. There was a fair amount of guards around the hall where the door was located, and that felt like a good sign to Keith. Higher security in strange places usually meant that they were guarding something important.

A few carefully timed movements, and then they were inside the stairwell. The stairs were dark, and very small, but that didn’t stop either of the men for venturing forward. Pidge let them know that there were guards in the halls, but one was napping and the other was on his phone. The watched they had also including a device to give a shock when the right button was pressed. It wouldn’t affect the wearer, but whoever the face was pressed against would feel the full effects-which was to knock someone out for a short period of time.

Shiro took care of both the guards, taking it as his responsibility as an older brother; Keith thought that Shiro in some way didn’t want Keith to dirty his hands of hurting someone. They searched all the rooms, but they were all just storage. Nothing even looked remotely out of place or unusual. The basement wasn’t large, but Keith and Shiro took extra time searching the rooms for anything.

“Ugh, I found Lotor’s ‘play room’.” Hunk gagged into the com.

Keith and Shiro shared a grimace as they continued their search. After they hit the last room on the blueprints, Keith nearly threw an old wooden box against a wall in frustration. Why have guards in a place where there wasn’t anything of real value. There was no exit either than the one door, so it didn’t make even a little bit of sense to Keith to have any other person down here.

He was about to suggest they go help Coran, when a creaking noise came from their left-at a dead end. Keith and Shiro ducked back into the room they had just searched and crouched down, ready to attack if need be. There were light footsteps that stopped right in front of the room they were hiding in. “My name is Thace. I’m here to help.”

The brother exchanged looked, silently conversing if they should trust the stranger or not. Either way, they were trapped, and if the man really was Thace as he claimed, then he was on their side. Carefully, Shiro opened the door, ready just in case the man wasn’t who he said he was. When Shiro wasn’t attacked on the stop, Keith got up himself and entered the hallway once more.

Thace was a strongly built middle aged man, dark hair cut short, and hazel eyes watching them carefully. “We don’t have much time. I found a secret section of the basement behind the wall, but we have to move quickly.”

At this moment, it was the best lead they had. Thace turned and went back the way he came, and the brothers followed. Keith was still slightly skeptical. If Thace wasn’t normally allowed in the basement, then what was he doing there now? “Allura, we’re with Thace. There’s a secret area in the basement, apparently.”

“Trust in Thace. He won’t lead you into any danger. Hunk and I will sneak back into the party for a while before we help Coran. We’ve found absolutely nothing of use to us.” Her tone was cold, but Keith couldn’t blame her for it. Tonight had been a perfect chance for her to come up with some incriminating evidence, only to come up empty.

Where there once had been a solid wall, now stood an opening. Peering in, Keith and Shiro could see more hall, just as dark as the basement area they were currently in, and guards unconscious on the floor. Thace motioned for them to enter. “I can’t join you. My presence will be noticed if I’m gone too long.” Thace moved past them, placing a gentle hand on one of Keith’s shoulders. “There are no cameras down here, but do not stay too long. You should find what you’ve come for ahead.”

With that, Thace gave a curt nod and headed back towards the stairs, leaving Keith and Shiro alone to venture into the dark hallway ahead. Keith sprinted forward, quietly checking the rooms while Shiro watched their backs. Keith was frantic, peering into the vastly overwhelming amount of dark locked rooms as fast as he could. The hidden area was massive, with twists and turns like some fucked-up labyrinth. This hadn’t even been close to being on the blueprints that Thace gave them, but it was definitely on the newer side; and incredibly well kept from what they could see.

After what felt like an eternity of searching, they came across a hallway that seemed a little brighter than the others. There was a key ring carefully placed on the chest of an unconscious guard, no doubt left by Thace when he was in there previously. Keith snatched it up and peered inside the dimly lit room the guard was beside. He could barely see, but he could just make out short brown hair, and the barest glace of tanned skin. Keith fumbled the keys as he unlocked the door, rushing inside without a further thought. “Lance!”

The android slowly lifted his head to look Keith in the eye. Once Keith let his eyes adjust better to the darkness he could see that Lance was chained with his arms up, knees on the floor, completely nude. Keith looked him over in what little light was provided from the open door and saw gashes upon gashes and chunks missing out of Lance’s faux skin. Keith felt sick, and so incredibly angry that Lance had been forced to endure any torture. While Keith didn’t know if Lance could actually feel being cut or not, it was the intent behind the abuse that made Keith feel like crying. He dropped down to his knees and wrapped his arms around Lance’s torso, pressing his forehead against the cool skin of the droid’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry…if I had come sooner….”

“It’s okay,” Lance’s voice sounded hollow, and even more mechanical than before.  “I’m alright. I don’t feel pain really.”

Keith pulled back, making eye contact once more with the broken looking droid. How could Lance just shrug off something so terrible?! “That’s not the point! I could kill that bastard for doing this to you!”

Lance shushed Keith and moved to lean his forehead against the other boy’s. Keith held on tighter, closing his eyes and just feeling the Lance there in his arms. It was almost easy to forget that they weren’t safe back in Keith’s apartment, rather than being stuck in some dark hellhole. Keith opened his eyes and looked at the droid before him. “I’m getting you out of here.”

The android pulled back to look at Keith properly and shook his head. “Don’t. There’s no point anymore.”

“What do you mean?! We’ll get you out of here and will hide! Then we can get the police involved and we’ll put Lotor and his father away for good!” Keith started fiddling with the key ring, trying to find the right key to unlock Lance’s cuffs. Lance was crazy if he thought for a second that Keith would come all this way just to leave him where he was.

Lance gave Keith a strained look. “The new android is almost up and running. It’s in a lab a few doors down, and-”

“Shiro!” Keith called to his brother, voice cracking slightly. “I need you to go down the hall and destroy the other Lance android.”

Shiro looked torn on doing as his brother asked, or staying to make sure he was safe. He didn’t want to leave just in case one of the guards came back. However, Keith didn’t give him the choice once he found the right key for Lance’s cuffs. Keith hastily worked the key off the ring and tossed the rest to Shiro. “Go! I’ll be fine! Just be quick!”

His brother gave him a long look before turning and quickly heading down the halls. The coms were still on, and he quickly explained the situation to the group, but Pidge had muted Keith’s for the rest of the team to hear for the time being; something Shiro had asked of her when Keith ran into Lance’s cell.

As soon as Shiro was gone, Keith turned his attention back to Lance’s cuffs, shakily undoing the locks that held the shackles together. As soon as Lance was free, he dropped to the floor like a sack of rocks, hitting the concrete beneath him with a heavy thud. Keith caught him and wrapped him in a tight hug, holding him tighter than he ever had before. Lance lightly hugged back, body slightly trembling. “Keith listen. You have to leave me here. Just destroying the android isn’t enough…”

“No, I won’t do that.” Keith mumbled into Lance’s shoulder. “I already lost you once, and I won’t lose you again. I will do whatever it takes to make you safe.”

Keith stood slowly, trying to will Lance up as well. However, Keith struggled some under the weight of the unmoving android. He tried again once he got proper footing, but Lance seemed to be resisting him. Lance shot him a sad look after the second attempt. “Keith, I can’t walk.”

Keith’s eyes snapped down to Lance’s legs. It was difficult to see, but the backs of his knees had been sliced deeply; all wires and supporting metallic frame damaged brutally. Keith felt angry tears well up in his eyes. “Then I’ll carry you! Just please stop resisting and let me help you!”

“Keith, please. Just listen to me for a second.” Lance pleaded softy.

There was nothing more that Keith wanted to do than to ignore Lance’s words and carry him off to safety. They could talk later, when they were outside the mansion and far, far away from the Galra family. The look in Lance’s eyes had him pause-made him wait for Lance to say what needed to be said before they left.

Once Lance saw that Keith was waiting as patiently as he could, he spoke. “First, there’s a note hidden in my circuits. I need you to get it.”

Keith nodded slowly and moved around to Lance’s back. There was a lot more damage to the silicone skin here. Deep slashes that didn’t look like they came from a knife, but rather from continuous whipping. The sight certainly didn’t sate his anger-it only made it worse. Still, he quickly opened the back panel and retrieved the note hidden inside the android. It was sealed, and it wasn’t addressed to him. Keith stared blankly at the messy, quickly written scrawl of a name he hadn’t heard in a while.

_Katie_

The letter was addressed to Pidge, but by her real name. There were few in this world that called her Katie at all, and only one who didn’t know that she refused the name until her brother was found. Keith knew the handwriting, he had seen it so many times pouring over notes with Pidge in their youth. With the letter held delicately in his hand, as if it would disappear if he was less than gentle with it, Keith moved back to face Lance, who gave him a broken, knowing smile. “I met my creator…”

Keith stared dumbly back, not knowing what he could possibly say in this situation. What does one say when they learn that the genius who put together a highly advanced sex android for a wealthy psychopath was none other than the man who was a second brother to him. The man, who had been missing for four years with no trace of where he might have gone.

The revelation that Matt Holt had made the android that stood before him, that he loved so much, was too much for him to handle. His mind was spinning, and all he wanted to do was get out of there. Grab Lance and just flee from this retched place. He had so many questions, but knew that Lance would know none of the answers to anything relating to Matt. Perhaps there was some clues inside the letter, but Keith didn’t dare open something that was for Pidge from her missing brother.

Lance placed a hand on Keith’s face and made Keith look him in the eye. “The second thing is the most important. So just listen.”

Keith nodded. “I will, but please, we need to leave soon. We don’t have much time.”

“I know. But this is something you need to know,” Lance took a pause to make sure Keith was sitting still and listening before he continued. “I remember why Lotor threw me away. And what’s more, I’ve heard things while I’ve been back here that all make things click into place.”

“Then let’s meet with the others and tell them! Allura has a long standing grudge against Zarkon Galra, so if we can get anything incriminating, we can go to the police with it. You can help us take this family down.” Keith was desperate for Lance to just let him get them away from the dark dungeon. Shiro would be back any minute, and as soon as his brother was back, Keith would drag Lance away.

“Listen! I need to tell you this now!” Lance’s voice seemed to be getting hollower. “Lotor has been keeping me at low battery. I won’t be able to make it out before powering down, and there is a chance I will forget everything if I do. So please, just shut up.”

Waiting was frustrating, but Keith would for Lance. He would do anything for Lance. He felt like he was losing his mind, being that far gone for someone he had known for such a short amount of time, and for someone who wasn’t a real living human being at that.

Lance closed his eyes briefly, causing Keith to panic for a moment, before setting his eyes back on the boy in front of him. “I started to remember…everything. I _am_ Lance. I remember Hunk, I remember my family. I remember running away from home, coming to live in this city with a boy named Rolo that I thought was going to be with me forever. I remember us breaking up, and getting my job at The Castle. I can recall the night I first met Lotor, and the night I broke my ankle preforming. Lotor wanted to take care of me, said that he loved me, and if I came with him, things would be better.”

“Wha-?”

Lance placed a finger to Keith’s lips, silencing him. “I didn’t love Lotor, and didn’t plan on following him anywhere. So, he kidnapped me, and took me…somewhere. I remember a white room, and chambers with people that seemed to be sleeping. I think…I think that’s where I am. Where _I_ really am. My mind is in this android, but my body has to be in that lab.”

If the fact that Matt was still in the city and had made Lance was too much, this reveal was more than Keith’s mind could process at once. He felt like he was starting to fade out, like he wasn’t even really awake. Lance’s hand on his face was the only thing keeping him grounded, reminding him that he was still in this dark cell with and android who had a very real body hidden somewhere in the city.

Shiro came around the corner in a hurry. “We need to go. Pidge taught me how to start a fire inside the android, but that is bound to attract some attention-or at least set off the fire alarm.”

Keith was still sitting blankly in front of Lance, glancing in between his brother and Lance. Lance pulled his hand away and settled his hands in his lap-covering himself for Shiro’s sake. “Go. You two need to get somewhere safe. Get out, and find my real body. I’m positive that Allura can help, but you can’t do that if you stay here. I’ll slow you down if you try and take me with you.”

“I don’t care!” Keith moved quickly, turning around and pulled the broken android onto his back. The full weight of Lance was almost too much to bare, but he would carry him out no matter what. Keith made a few staggering steps forward before Shiro rushed to help. He pulled Lance off Keith’s back and threw him onto one of his shoulders.

The two brothers made their way out as quickly as they could. Keith remembered he was still connected to the coms. “Pidge, please tell me you know a way we can get out of here with Lance and not be spotted.”

“Working on it…It’s going to be pretty difficult though.”

“As long as we make it out, that’s all that matters.” Keith said, checking back to make sure Shiro was alright. “But we need something quick.”

They made their way through the winding halls until they reached the opening they came from. Slipping through and closing the entrance was easy, but Shiro was losing his ability to be able to carry such a heavy weight. Keith saw his expression and stopped. “Let’s hold him together, okay?”

He was anxious, and eager to get going. They couldn’t do much without Pidge’s guidance now though, so they could spare a bit of time. Shiro slid Lance off his shoulder and Keith moved to pull one of Lance’s arms over his own shoulder while Shiro had the other one. They could have to drag Lance, since he couldn’t move his legs, but Keith knew it wouldn’t hurt the android at least.

Lance looked over at Shiro, eyes pleading. “Please, Shiro. You need to just leave me here. You two need to get out and locate my body, and the other bodies too. I’m slowing you down.”

Pidge’s voice let out a frustrated growl. “I can’t find any way to get Lance out without being seen. Someone could create a diversion, but that’s risky.”

“Can’t you just turn off the lights or something!” Keith snapped.

“There’s still emergency lights so it’s not like that’s going to really so much, but sure, here goes nothing.”

There was silence from Pidge for a moment before things went dark. The emergency lights kicked on, but they left enough dark spaces that Keith felt they stood a chance. He pushed forward, Shiro following beside as they dragged Lance to the stairs. Keith drown out Lance’s pleas to Shiro to just leave him. He didn’t care if Lance had a real body somewhere or not. There was absolutely no way that he would leave this version of Lance in the hands of a maniac.

Getting up the stairs was difficult, but they managed. The hallway was deserted when they reached the top. Keith could hear guards instructing frightened guests out the front doors, and the thunderous sounds of several pairs of feet running upstairs. Allura’s voice came over the coms, sounding the slightest bit panicked. “Hunk and I are almost at the van. Coran, where are you?”

“Heading out the front doors now. Keith, Shiro, be careful. There are guards everywhere right now.”

Shiro kept an eye open for any danger as Keith moved towards the back of the house-Pidge directing him via a private com link. Lance was quiet in between them, head hanging lowly, but Keith could just faintly see the glow in the droid’s eyes to signify that he was still active.

They barely got passed a group of armed men running, and they narrowly were able to slip into an empty lounge room that Pidge had directed them too. “Okay, now the window should open. If you guys slip out in the next three minutes, you shouldn’t be spotted. But there are guards in the house coming your way, and some outside that will probably hear the window opening.”

They rushed to the window and opened it as fast as they could without making a lot of noise. “Shiro, you go first, then I’ll pass Lance to you.”

Shiro didn’t like the idea of Keith being left in the manor alone for even a minute, but he knew he didn’t have time to argue. He clamoured out the window and waiting for Keith to put Lance in his arms. He was tired, but he would carry the heavy android the rest of the way if he had to. His arms would be able to make it.

Or so he thought. His mechanical arm tremored and jerked-things he was used to experiencing ever so often- before falling limply against his side. It would take at least half an hour before it would function again unless he got it to Pidge, but now they had an even more pressing matter. “Keith, my arm stopped working.”

Keith swore under his breath, cursing their luck. It wouldn’t stop him though, he was going to get Lance out of there no matter what. He moved forward and tried to get Lance through the window. Lance struggled a little, grabbing the edge of the window sill with one hand, other clenched onto Keith’s suit jacket. “Keith, you need to go. You can’t carry me yourself, and Shiro can’t help with one arm.”

“No! No I won’t just abandon you! I love you!” The declaration was there, out in the open, and it hurt so much. Keith let out a sob, tears finally breaking free and running down his cheeks. “I love you…I can’t just leave you here.”

Lance moved the hand that was against the window sill and wiped Keith’s tears. “But I’m not real, Keith. This body isn’t real, and I can’t tell if what I feel for you is me, or just some kind of artificial love that they programmed me to have.”

“I know you’re not…but that doesn’t change how I feel!” Keith resumed trying to get Lance out of the window. Pidge was shouting warnings that they were running out of time very quickly and they needed to get out of there _now_.

Lance surged forward and captured Keith’s lips with his own. Keith held onto the android and kissed back with everything he had. This felt real, no matter what Lance was trying to say to push him away. He wouldn’t believe it for even a second. There was something there that was not a program, Keith was sure of it.

The door burst open and five guards came rushing in with guns drawn. “There they are!”

Keith barely had time to register what was happening before he was shoved out the window. Lance had managed to twist himself so that his own back was facing the guards, and blocking Keith from view. Keith landed on his ass in the grass below the window, staring in horror at Lance’s sorrowful smile. “You need to go. Please, do it for me.”

There was a shot that ripped through Lance’s shoulder. The android didn’t so much as flinch, just snapped his eyes to Shiro. “Get out of here!”

Shiro didn’t need to be told twice. He pulled Keith to his feet with one arm before looking back at the droid that was barely supporting his full weight with his two arms. “I’m sorry, Lance.”

Keith tried to pull away from Shiro’s vice like grip, but it was fruitless. Shiro started to run, and as much as Keith pulled back to Lance, Shiro had more weight behind him. He was moving his legs to keep up with Shiro as he was dragged far away from the mansion. Lance’s face, looking relieved that he was finally getting away, was the last thing he saw before guards grabbed his body and yanked him away from the window. “Lance!!”

He tried to struggle again, but Shiro’s grip just seemed to tighten. “Shiro, let me go! They are going to hurt him!”

“And they are going to kill you if you go back! I will _not_ lose you!” Shiro snapped, not stopping for a moment.

There were enough trees and shrubs in the yard to given them enough cover to run undetected through the manor’s yard. “Pidge, how do we get out of here? We can’t just go through the front gates.”

“Hang on a minute.” She said.

There was a sound of an engine, and then the van they had been using came into view. There was a ladder on the top, making it seem like a simple maintenance van. It was supposed to be for aesthetic, but Hunk and Coran hopped out of the van and unfastened it from the top. It was thrown over the gate and Shiro shoved at Keith to move up the ladder.

Keith knew he could push past Shiro in this moment and run, but if he did it would risk the others, and he didn’t want them to risk their lives for his own selfishness. So he climbed the ladder first, hopping over the fence at the top. Shiro struggled with only one arm, but managed to get over with very little trouble. There were ropes attached to the top of the ladder that Coran and Hunk used to get it back from over the fence. “Come on, we have like one minute before someone spots us!”

Pidge sounded on edge, and it was obvious that everyone didn’t want to be there a second longer. They couldn’t leave evidence however, and thus put the ladder back on the top of the van as fast as they could. Keith trudged into the van, followed by a very tired looking Shiro. Keith sat far away from his brother, hurting and fuming that they had just left Lance.

As soon as Hunk and Coran were in the van, Allura sped off away from the manor. Keith turned his head and watched the mansion grow smaller and smaller in size the further away they got. His head hurt and his heart ached. All that planning, and all that effort, yet he didn’t have Lance with him now. He had learned so much, but was still left wanting to be with the android instead.

Keith at silently as Allura drove the van to safety, wishing he had just been a little more selfish earlier and not listened to Lance. If he had, then Keith would have Lance in his arms right now, holding onto his tightly and never letting him go again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun daaaaaaaaaaaaa!   
> Well there's the big reveal. I know a lot of people have been guessing, but I wonder how many have gotten it correct! 
> 
> And sorry the action scenes aren't so great. I'm a drama writer....no so great with action sadly. Hopefully wasn't too awful!
> 
> Comments and Kudos always appreciated. And you can hit me up on tumblr @ Raequaza , anytime!
> 
> Until next time!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhh sorry for the wait. And more so that this is all mostly like filler in a sense. But it needs to happen before the climax.
> 
> As always thanks to my beta, callmesinpai, who has so much patience. 
> 
> And a big big thank you to ya'll for reading and reviewing. Seriously helps me feel like I'm actually doing okay, and not creating a colossal let down.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Keith didn’t know how long it took to get back to safe house, nor did he remember actually leaving the van. All he knew was that he was now sitting in an armchair in the living room as Allura spoke softly to his brother; and he could care less what they were talking about, but he knew it was probably about him. He felt numb all over. He was tired, but couldn’t sleep. The image of Lance being taken away once more kept flashing before his eyes. As if the first time wasn’t the worst thing that had happened in his life, the universe just had to try and one-up that.

Finally, Allura and Shiro came over to Keith and crouched at either side of him. “Keith…”

Keith glanced at his brother, but didn’t get his full attention. He wanted to be angry at Shiro for taking him away. And he was sure if he could feel anything right now, he would be. The numbness was overwhelming every emotion he had right now.

Allura took one of his hands in her own. “Keith, can you tell us anything Lance said? He told you and Shiro that I would be able to help, but I can’t if you don’t tell me anything.”

Keith wanted to talk. Wanted to tell her everything. With her skills, she should be able to easily track down the secret lab and find the real Lance, but his mouth didn’t want to move. All he could do was turn and look at her. She waited patiently, but realized Keith wasn’t going to speak anytime soon. She turned to Pidge. “Did you hear anything?”

“No,” Pidge said solemnly from her place perched on the edge of the couch. “I wanted to be nice and give them some privacy, so after I muted Keith for everyone else, I turned his volume way down for Keith’s com to me as well. As soon as Shiro was headed back I linked everyone up again.”

She regretted doing it. At the time, it felt like the right thing to do. She didn’t want to intrude on something that was bound to be an incredibly emotional conversation. Pidge had heard the desperation in Keith’s voice, the brokenness when he found Lance once more. And again, when he lost him for a second time. It was heart breaking to listen to. Keith was like a brother to her, and she wanted to do everything she could to make him happy. Even if that meant letting him have a heart to heart in a dangerous situation.

They stayed in a tense silence for a while, not knowing what to say to make the situation any easier to handle. Keith tried to will himself to just speak up. To tell Allura everything. The new android was ruined, but that didn’t mean they didn’t have the capabilities to build another new one. Lotor did seem very attached to Lance, so it wouldn’t be far fetched to assume that he would go out of his way to make another one. They did have a genius on their hands, who Keith knew first hand was capable of pretty well anything.

Remembering the letter, he quickly reached in his jacket pocket where he had shoved it. He was relieved to feel that despite everything, it hadn’t fallen out. He forced through the choking feeling and finally spoke. “Pidge.”

The girl in question nearly fell off her perch at the sound of Keith saying her name. She stared at him wide-eyed as he fished a rather crumpled letter out of his jacket pocket. It didn’t look like anything special, but Keith was holding it out to her, so she assumed it was meant for her to read. Pidge slid off the couch and moved towards her friend’s outstretched hand. As soon as she took it from him, Keith dropped his hand and looked at her with something she couldn’t place. It almost seemed like pity, but not quite.

When she uncrumpled the letter, she quickly knew why Keith was looking at her like that. There in a sharp, quick scrawl that she had known all her life. It was done in a pen that smudged, but that didn’t take away from the name that she couldn’t tear her eyes away from. _Katie_

This letter was addressed to her as Katie, and only one person would ever call her that now. Even her own parents agreed to call her by her nickname; one that Matt had lovingly gave her based off a Pokémon they had loved as a kid. Pidge looked to Keith questioningly, but could barely see him at all. Her vision was blurry, and it wasn’t until Shiro wrapped a strong around her that she even noticed she was crying. She turned into his chest and shook, sobbingly lightly. This meant her brother was alive. That she had been right! Pidge couldn’t bring herself to read the letter while she was in tears, just in case the drops ruined any of the precious words left for her.

Pidge handed the letter to Shiro when she came to the conclusion she was not about to calm down any time soon. Shiro saw the name and everything clicked. Pidge wasn’t a crier normally, but when it came to her brother, that was an entirely different story. His mechanical arm had started to function again once they entered the safe house, something he cursed internally. If it had just been working when he needed it, things would be fine! Still, he couldn’t dwell on it, and carefully opened the letter and held it with his metal hand.

“ _Katie,_

_I don’t have a lot of time to write this, especially for everything I want to say, but know that I love you, and I am safe…more or less. As long as I do what is asked of me, they still keep me around._

_I didn’t want to leave, just know that. They approached me about droid work, but I turned them down. It wasn’t until they threatened your life that I agreed to work for them. I know you’re probably so angry that I left without leaving any clues, but I couldn’t. If they found out, they would either dispose of you, or make me turn you into an android like Lance, designed for the sole purpose of pleasuring others-and they promised they would make me watch. I honestly couldn’t tell you which option I found worse._

_But onto the important stuff. Lance was able to secretly tell me it was Keith who rescued him, and you helped put him back together. You did such an incredible job fixing him up, and I am so proud- as strange as that sounds in the circumstance. However, most importantly, Lance is not the only android I’ve been forced to make. There are many others I have made like him, and all of them are simply hosts for a drugged consciousness of the Galra’s victims._

_Find the main lab, and you will find me as well. But don’t you **dare** physically get involved. I couldn’t bare it if something happened to you. Stay safe, and work from the sidelines. That’s what people like us do best. _

_I don’t know where the lab is, but I am sure you can find it. Never forget, you are brilliant, and you always find a way to get what you want. The only thing I can tell you is that they are planning on taking another victim soon, and they always go for people in the same industry as Lance._

_This paper isn’t long enough for everything I want to say, but I can’t sneak another. Tell Keith to watch his back, and tell Shiro I am so sorry I wasn’t there when he got back like I promised._

_I miss and I love you so much, little Pidgey._

_Matt._ ”

Shiro had read dutifully, not letting his voice break for an instant. He got all the inflictions that Matt had wrote, and kept a good pace so everyone could follow. Pidge had stopped her sobbing, quieting down to soft hiccupping sounds as he read. As soon as he was done however, she buried her face further into his shirt and cried a little harder. Shiro carefully folded the note up and tucked in in Pidge’s hoodie pocket before allowing tears to fall from his own eyes. He was silent about it, not allowing a single sob to escape his lips. All he could do was rest his forehead on top of Pidge’s hair and just cry.

Matt was his best friend, but even he had resigned to the thought that Matt probably wasn’t alive any more. However now, they not only had proof he was still alive, but proof that he was still in the city somewhere. Being held hostage in order to make sex droid for deranged rich men.

As Shiro and Pidge were having their moment, Allura assessed the new information they had just heard. She turned to Keith. “Did Lance say anything like this to you?”

Keith nodded his head. “He said…he said the reason he had been thrown out was because he started to remember his real life. That his body was in some lab, but he didn’t really know if he was still alive or not. Remembered his family, remembered Hunk, his job at some place called The Castle.”

Allura frowned. “Are you sure he said he worked at The Castle?”

“That’s what he told me. Said he broke his ankle preforming one night…met Lotor there,” It was getting a bit easier to talk, but his mouth still felt entirely too dry. “Do you know the place?”

“I do. It’s one of the places I had for my very minimal leads before I met you. But when I asked around, no one knew anything about Lance. Or even someone matching Lance’s description. The owner assured me they only hired buff men, and there wasn’t any male even close to Lance in body-type there to prove otherwise. Of course the customers were of no help either.” The fury in Allura’s eyes was unmistakeable.

“What kind of place _is_ The Castle exactly?” Hunk questioned.

Coran was the one to answer. “It’s a strip club in the seedier part of town.”

Hunk made a sort of unsurprised hum. “Makes sense. Lance could out dance pretty well anyone, and he’d just eat up the attention.” Hunk was sitting properly on the couch Pidge was perched on. He hadn’t said much once they got to the safe house, choosing to silently sit and watch the others’ interactions until now. He wasn’t exactly happy that after everything they had gone through to get Lance back, they still came up empty handed, _and_ they almost got caught. He couldn’t be angry with their reasoning though, since he knew that if Shiro had let Keith stay and drag Lance away himself, it wouldn’t have been good for anyone. Shiro and Keith would probably wind up dead, and Hunk-despite barely knowing the others- wouldn’t stand to lose someone else.

There was a lull in the conversation before Keith gathered himself enough to speak once more. He couldn’t sit around moping while Lance was still in the hands of that maniac. What’s more, he wasn’t about to let another person become the Galra’s victims. “What do we do now?”

Allura sighed. “As much as I hate to admit it, we need a little more help than just us.”

“Who can we trust with this? It’s not exactly a walk in the park, and I’m not even sure that people will believe us without Lance as proof.” Shiro was finally looking at them, eyes a little red, but otherwise looking much the same as always.

“The police, of course!” Coran chirped happily. “Though we don’t always see eye-to-eye and Alfor used to butt-heads with him, police chief Kolivan has always had a soft spot for Allura ever since she was just a little tyke. We can trust him.”

Keith snorted. “Don’t you think that the Galra’s would have bought the police’s silence? Otherwise I’m surprised that they have been able to get away with so much shit for so long.”

“Not Kolivan. He’s been on the job longer than any of you have been alive, and he has never let anything sway him. He pushed hard to find evidence that Zarkon was involved in Alfor’s murder. Believe me, we can trust him completely.” Coran said.

None of the group could really argue with that logic. If Coran and Allura were sure that someone could be trusted, then who were they to disagree. Hunk wasn’t a huge fan of the police himself, since they all did absolutely nothing to look for his missing friend, but he wouldn’t fight it.

“Then that’s settled,” Allura stated firmly. “We go see Kolivan tomorrow morning.”

“Hunk, we’ll take you back with us. You three be ready for us by eight in the morning,” Coran’s general chipper demeanor dropped some. “Try and get some rest. I know it may be difficult, but you’ll need your energy tomorrow.”

They couldn’t promise that they would. Pidge looked like she was emotionally crashing in Shiro’s arms, but knowing her, as soon as she laid down she would be wide away and just thinking. Her and Keith were much the same in that regard. Shiro would probably be up worrying about Matt, as well as both Keith and Pidge. However, he knew Coran was right. “We will try.”

Coran gave them a sharp nod before leading Allura and Hunk out to their car. The van would be parked in the garage for a while until things settled down. As soon as they heard the engine sounds of Coran’s car fade away, Shiro scooped Pidge up in his arms. Pidge grumbled. “I’m not eight anymore, Shiro.”

“Doesn’t matter,” He carried her up the stairs and put her in bed before coming back down to Keith. “Do I have to carry you too?”

Keith knew he was trying to make a joke, just to lighten the mood, but he wasn’t having it. He was beginning to feel the light anger towards his brother for making him leave Lance behind. “I would prefer you didn’t touch me at all right now actually.”

Shiro looked hurt, but knew that if Keith was angry, it was a good sign. “Sorry. You should go to bed though. It won’t be good for your back if you sleep in that chair.”

Keith didn’t give him a response, but Shiro wasn’t expecting one. He headed back upstairs himself and lay on his bed and leave Keith alone for a while. Shiro knew he could easily snap back that Keith shouldn’t be angry at him for trying to save Keith’s life. Could tell Keith that he was insane for thinking a robot that Shiro barely knew-that Keith had barely known-was worth more to him than his little brother’s life. But he would never say those things to Keith. He knew that despite the short amount of time they were together, and disregarding that Lance is in fact not a real human being, his little brother had fallen for the android none-the-less. That Lance meant more to Keith than Shiro could understand himself, and that was okay. But he would be damned if he let that love get his brother killed.

Shiro stayed up for as long as he could, listening for footsteps on the stairs to signify Keith going to bed himself, but none came.

 

Keith was barely functioning in the morning when Coran came by to get them. He had stayed up the whole night doing anything he could to try and take his mind off things, but nothing helped. He had tried to work out in hopes that he would at least exhaust himself enough to even try to sleep, if only for an hour, but to no avail. So, with no sleep, a tired body, and a mentally exhausted mind, he wasn’t sure how well he would make it through the day. His only hope was that the five cups of coffee he drank would keep him functioning long enough to figure out how to save Lance.

Pidge didn’t look much better. She had mumbled something about maybe sleeping a bit to Shiro when he asked, but that was all she had said since she came down the stairs. Shiro kept his distance from Keith, knowing that trying to interact with Keith was probably not a good call still.

The car ride was silent, and seemed to take a lot longer than it should have. Coran tried to chat with them, but only received varying grunts and hums in response so he gave up trying. Allura was meeting them there with Hunk so that they would have everyone together to explain the entire thing. From when human Lance ran away from home, all the way to what they know now. Their only hope was that it was enough to get the police to swing into action.

Allura was not so patiently waiting for them outside the police station, tapping her foot agitatedly until they all stood before her. She looked them all over and sighed. She could tell instantly that they had slept about as well as she had, and in this situation, that probably wasn’t a good thing. Still, they had no time for power naps. “Well, come on then. Chief Kolivan is waiting for us.”

They all walked inside in a determined manor. Most police officers knew Coran and Allura and also knew better to get in their way if they were headed towards the chief’s office. Only something serious would make them step foot in the police station.

The police station was as busy as ever, but none of the group paid any mind. They all followed Allura through the halls to reach a large wooden door with a brass name plate on it. The walls of one side of the room were glass, allowing whoever was inside to see everything happening inside the main part of the station. Allura knocked twice sharply before letting herself in. The team entered the room behind her.

The tall, older man sat behind a large metal desk. He looked less than amused at a group of six people just entering his office without him granting their entrance, but he didn’t seem surprised. “I have asked you to wait before you barge into my office, Allura.”

She shrugged. “At least I knocked first this time.”

He sighed and leaned back in his chair. “I suppose that’s an improvement,” Kolivan looked to the others in the room. “So why exactly have you demanded to meet with me this morning, as well as bring four civilians with you? That’s quite uncommon for you.”

Allura’s face scrunched up, like it was physically difficult for her to speak the next words. “Because I- _we_ \- need your help.”

Chief Kolivan raised an eyebrow, slight smirk on gracing his haggard features. “Oh? It must be serious then.”

 “It’s to do with the Galra family.” Allura clipped back.

The amused expression was gone instantly from the older man’s face. “I see,” He leaned further back in his chair, arms crossed. “Explain. In detail. Leave nothing out.”

And explain Allura did. She told Kolivan of her side first. How she had taken a job to look for a missing young adult by the name of Lance McClain. She had been hired by Hunk technically, though Lance’s parents were paying for it. Hunk briefly explained how long Lance had been missing for, why he ran away in the first place, who he went with, and what cities he had searched before coming here and hiring Allura.

Allura told of how she searched every legal and less than legal connection she knew-save for one she didn’t think was relevant-and came up with nothing. She had no leads for a month before meeting Keith, who gave them the biggest lead they could ever hope for.

Keith was exhausted, and had to be nudged to attention by Pidge when it was supposedly his turn to talk. At least he assumed that’s what people wanted from him, they were all staring at him. He told his story, as much as he could really remember for fine details-like how dark it was in the alley, or exactly how far down he was under trash bags. When he spoke of fixing the android, he gestured to Pidge who took over talking briefly. When it was back to Keith, he explained their general daily life together. He skipped some of the personal parts, but kept in things like the android dancing, or making him foreign foods. When the part about ‘Chance’ being a sex android came up, Kolivan very bluntly asked if Keith had taken advantage of that fact.

Keith bristled. “What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“I am simply asking if you used the android as he was designed during your time together.”

“Why do you need to know if we did or didn’t!?” Keith was too tired to deal with this man’s bullshit. It was none of his business one way or the other, and Keith would be damned if he gave in to what the other man wanted.

Kolivan assessed him a while before shrugging. “Simply curious. Continue.”

Keith didn’t like the knowing look that Kolivan had, but carried on talking about what happened when they met Hunk. How they had been brought to Allura, and how Allura said she could try and help. How Slav had assessed ‘Chance’, and told him how the android functioned in as much detail as was able to be shown. Things had been looking up for both Hunk and Keith, but then Keith explained how he was attacked in the alleyway, and Lance taken from him. He went silent after that, waiting for someone else to take over for a while. He didn’t want to talk anymore.

Allura stepped in and filled in the rest of the blanks. How they had had come to the conclusion that it was Lotor Galra who had attacked Keith, and that it seemed unlikely that he was ever going to be behind bars just for that. Without proof in the form of the actual android, there wasn’t much to show that Lotor had been involved. Still, it led Allura to contacting Thace inside the manor, and then to the ball itself. Kolivan stopped her there.

“Did you not think of how much danger you could have been in if you had been caught? Why did you not come to me with this sooner, Allura?!”

Like a bratty teen, she crossed her arms and scowled at him. “Because when I bring up the Galra family, you tell me to _drop it_!”

“Because they have iron-clad alibis and the best lawyers in the country! On top of that, you faked your identities and illegally entered the Galra manor under false pretenses and then went snooping around! Anything you find like that would be inadmissible in court!”

“I am a private detective, and I was doing my job! If we had managed to get the android back, then there was no way that-”

Kolivan slammed a hand on the desk. “That’s not the point! You could have been hurt, or you could have gotten these civilians hurt! You may be a great detective Allura, but so was your father and look where that got him!”

Allura’s intended words back to the police chief caught in her throat. She couldn’t refute that getting in over his head was partially to blame for the death of her father. She also knew that Kolivan cared for her well-being; he and her father had been friends, and she had grown up treating Kolivan like family before the death of her father. She hung her head and fell silent, not looking at either the chief or the rest of her group.

There was a heavy silence that passed between them all. None of them knew what to do or what to say in this situation. It was Kolivan who spoke once more, rubbing his temples and sighing. “Alright, so someone tell me what happened once inside the manor.”

Pidge nudged Keith to talk, but Shiro beat him to it. Shiro explained exactly what happened inside the manor, in as much detail as he could provide since he couldn’t be everywhere. Kolivan looked less than pleased about the fact they split up, but said nothing as Shiro recounted what happened once him and Keith found the basement, and then the sub-basement. He told as much as he knew, including how he destroyed the other Lance android while Keith spoke to the current one.

“And what exactly did you two talk about?”

Keith scowled, wanting nothing more than to tell Kolivan to fuck off, but knew that doing so would get them nowhere. So, he explained as much as he needed to. No one needed to know that he had told Lance he loved him; that was private just between them. He told Kolivan about what Lance looked like, about receiving the letter to Pidge, and exactly what the android had told him; that he remembered being human and there were probably more androids just like him about. Keith explained the part about getting up the stairs, but left Shiro to fill in their escape-without Lance.

Pidge then explained the letter, her voice cracking ever so slightly as she did so. The letter held the most important pieces that they had. That Matt had been taken against his will to work with the Galra family, and that there definitely were more androids. It also held information that they were planning on taking another person soon.

Once Pidge handed over the letter for Kolivan to read, they all waited with baited breaths. Kolivan took his time reading the letter, minutes seeming like hours as he scanned the crudely written document. After he was done, he folded the letter back up and handed it back to Pidge. “I need to speak to Allura alone. If you would all please show yourselves out.”

Kolivan gestured to the door, and no one was stupid enough to argue with the chief of police. Keith, on a good day, might have been, but with how he felt now, he just did as was asked of him. Allura stayed behind, and didn’t even look at them as they left the room. There were a few chairs just off to the side, and the four young adults sat down; Coran opting to stay standing beside them. He had been quiet through the whole ordeal, and Keith had to wonder why he didn’t stand up for Allura back there.

In truth, Coran had wanted to snap back and knock Kolivan down a peg or two for bringing up Alfor in such a manner. But he, like Allura, knew that what Kolivan said had been true. Alfor hadn’t even trusted Coran on his last job, preferring to keep all the details to himself. His death had devastated everyone who was close to him, and Coran had blamed Alfor’s death on himself for years, all for not pushing Alfor to let him help. He had never told Allura that fact, and would take that to the grave with him. He knew what she would say, but that didn’t change the guilt he felt even still to this day.

The door opened after ten minutes, and Allura stormed out of the office. It was almost nice to see the fire back in her eyes, even though she looked like she could kill someone with a single glance. She didn’t pause to see if the group was following her, just pushing past any onlookers and headed out the door. The gang was quick to catch up with her, not wanting to have to all cram into Coran’s car; they would all fit, but it would be a very tight and uncomfortable ride.

Thankfully Allura waited outside for them, arms crossed and seething. “He can’t help us!”

Coran walked forward and placed a comforting hand on Allura’s shoulder. The gesture seemed to calm her some. Coran spoke softly. “Why can’t he help?”

Allura huffed. “There’s not enough evidence! Apparently because we broke into the manor to get that letter, even if it was given by a being kept captive, it’s not enough to sway the district attorney to give the police a warrant to search the manor! And because I had Chief Kolivan look into all properties owned by that family already, he can’t even give us a hint as to where we can even look to find this lab, since none of the buildings have shown anything suspicious when he looked!”

They were garnering a bit of attention, so Coran suggested they meet back at the office, and they will figure out what to do from there. Allura agreed tersely, and made for her sports car. Hunk followed behind, not wanting to get left behind. He had barely gotten in the car before Allura took off. Coran sighed and shook his head before turning his signature grin on the remaining three. “Well, best not keep her waiting!”

Coran whistled a tune as he got into his car, patiently waiting for the others to get seated and comfortable before driving off at an appropriate speed. Coran continued to whistle and hum along with whatever old rock song came on the radio, not missing a single beat. It was actually rather comforting, and Keith had to figure that was probably why Coran was doing it. Attempting to lighten the mood, if even for a little while, was really doing wonders for his stress levels, and a quick glance at the other two showed it had the same effect.

When the three followed Coran inside the Historical Society, they were a lot less tense. Keith had even calmed down enough to be okay with walking near his brother. He still hadn’t quite forgiven him yet, but understood that Shiro would always protect him over anything else. Allura’s office door was wide open, and Hunk was standing just outside of it. He held up a hand to get them to stop. He was watching Allura through the door, but he and the others were far enough away that they couldn’t hear her hushed phone conversation.

When she was done, Hunk dropped his hand and wandered inside, the others following suite. Allura was sitting behind her desk, eyes closed and brows furrowed in concentration. They allowed her a few moments before someone broke the silence. Keith being the one to speak first, since her initial plan of getting the police to help backfired, he needed a new one stat. “So what’s the plan now? We can’t just sit on our asses and wait for them to fuck up. We don’t even know when the Galra family will try and take someone else.”

“Actually, I do know that.” Allura sighed, opening her eyes to look at Keith. “That was Thace on the phone just now. He rushed to tell me that they would be taking another person in ten days from one of two clubs, and that it takes twelve to make another android fully operational.”

“Alright, well that’s good. Since we have the club names, we can just go there often and watch for anything suspicious.” Shiro noted.

“I’m afraid it’s not that simple. They are bound to have people snooping about, seeing if there is anyone that looks suspicious. If we go there too often, we risk getting caught.”

“But we have to do something right?! We can’t just sit around and do nothing!”

Allura nodded. “Keith, you said you would do anything to get Lance back. Do you still stand by it?”

“Of course I do….”

“Then I have an idea…but you might not like it.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have I ever mentioned that I love Coran, cause I love Coran. Seriously. 
> 
> And I have no excuses for constant cliffhangers. They just happen, I swear!
> 
> Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it! Comments and Kudos always appreciated  
> and as always you can reach me on tumblr @ raequaza if you so desire. 
> 
> Until next time!


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here we are!! Another chapter ready to go.  
> This chapter was difficult to write, and the next two won't be much better. That being said I have roughly three more chapters and then the epilogue, and then I'm done! So we're getting there!
> 
> Thanks always to my beta, callmesinpai, for all her work. She gave me two chapters back (this and YPP) within 24 hours! She's amazing!
> 
> Enjoy!

“You need to use your _hips_ more! Your hips!” Firm hands gripped Keith’s hips and shoved them forward.

Keith huffed, but thrust forward in the way his instructor was demanding him. He gyrated them to hopefully satisfactory levels before turning to look back at his teacher. The blond woman looked less then impressed, but honestly Keith couldn’t even think of a time where he had seen the woman look at him with anything more than exasperation. “Was that better, Nyma?”

She shrugged. “I mean, I guess. You’re still generally not that great at dancing, but thankfully your looks will somewhat make up for it.”

When Allura had told Keith her plan, he was a little bit reluctant. However, he had said that he would do whatever it took to get Lance back, and find the others, that he relented. Allura had an in with a club owner named Shay; apparently, they had gone to private school together back when they were kids and they still kept in touch years later. Shay owned Balmera, which was one of the strip clubs Thace had mentioned. The other, The Lion’s Den, was run by Shay’s girlfriend Nyma; The owner of the club was usually somewhere on his yacht in the middle of the ocean. Both Shay and Nyma had agreed to help Allura and her team out in their cause. They were not okay with some rich bastard just kidnapping their dancers.

So now here Keith was, day five of seven before he was allowed out on stage with a near tyrannical instructor. Allura apparently already had the basics down and was already out on stage at The Balmera. Keith on the other hand, needed a lot of work. He had never been one to dance at all, let alone strip in front of strangers. The little bit of dancing he sometimes did with Lance was no where close to being enough to get him where he needed to be even now. He had the upper body and core strength for pole work, but the actual dancing part was the issue. Nyma was getting frustrated with him in general, but Keith wasn’t giving up.

“Do it again, like I showed you. And for fuck sakes put your hips into it!”

* * *

By the end of Keith’s seven days, he was exhausted. He wasn’t used to moving in that way, and now that he had drilled it into his body so many times, his muscles were really feeling it. Still, he wasn’t going to let that stop him. It was the eighth night, and Keith’s first while going on stage. He was nervous, decked out in black sweat-pants over tight red booty shorts. The pants were tear-away, and frankly Keith was not a fan. He was wearing a simple grey tank top as the only other thing covering his body. He had been forced to sit down and have make-up applied, but nothing outrageous. Tonight was just about making sure he was able to at least be somewhat presentable on stage.

Shiro was working as a bouncer for Balmera, and Hunk was bartending at The Lion’s Den. He had been the least comfortable with the idea of the strip clubs, but at least he wasn’t the one doing the actual stripping. He did have to be kind of flirty with patrons, but he was able to keep it to a minimum under the guises he was a little shy. Flirting without meaning it made him feel bad, like he was leading people on without intending to.

Nyma was backstage making sure everyone was where they were supposed to be and had their appropriate outfits on. She was watching him, he could tell, but he wasn’t about to let that bother him now. He was up next, and he was going to put everything he had into putting on a great show. He had to, or else he wouldn’t be allowed back on stage and there went their chance of him being bait.

The man who had previously been on stage was just waltzing off, thong stuffed with bills. He gave Keith a wink and sauntered off towards the back. Keith took a deep breath and waited for the MC to call him on stage. They had stage names, as well as fake names off stage. Keith’s stage name was of Nyma’s choosing and he hated it, but Nico would have to do; Nyma thought it was cute because he was part Asian it sounded like the Japanese word for cat-Keith had told her time and time again that he was Korean, but she didn’t care.

The MC announced his atrocious stage name and he made his way out onto the dance floor. He had three song routines drilled into him during his time with Nyma, and this was the easiest. The only difference was now he had to put on a sultry expression and make it look like he wanted to be there dancing for the crowd.

Dancing on the stage was definitely not what any of his routines focused on, instead they allowed him to make more use of the pole; something that not a lot of Nyma’s male dancers actually liked to do. Keith moved with precision, gyrating, thrusting, and grinding against the pole.  The tank was the first to go, and that received quite a few wolf whistles; and Keith gave a confident smirk to the crowd in return. No was the time to actually use the pole as he had been taught. Just simple things at first, a few spins, and holding himself out with only one hand and one foot on the pole. The real show was for when the sweats had to come off, which he knew was coming up soon.

Keith slipped off the pole and sauntered over towards the edge of the stage where the drunken crowd was more than happy to have him come near. He nearly forgot a few movements, but that hardly mattered once he ripped away the sweat pants he was wearing. The crowd cheered, and Keith moved down and closer to them. Money was shoved at him, and he made the show of tucking the bills inside the waistband of his booty shorts. A few gentle smoldering looks, and a few blown kisses for good measure-since Nyma insisted that he needed to do that.

He made his way back to the pole and that’s where all the fun really began. There were a lot more acrobatics involved for the rest of the song, showing off every inch of his body as he moved. It was a lot of work, and he could feel his muscles straining, but he managed to finish the routine with the splits right on que. The patrons erupted into cat-calls, cheers, and applause. Keith blew one last kiss to the crowd before heading off stage. There was more money thrown on stage, but they had people to collect it, so Keith wasn’t worried about having to go back.

Nyma shot him a sly grin when he came close to her; the first thing he’d ever seen as a grin directed at him since he got there. “Well, after this is all over, if you wanna work here full time, I could certainly find a spot for you.”

Keith grimaced and pushed past her to the changing room. He rid himself of the tight booty shorts and got changed into some more comfortable boxers. Since he was new, and didn’t know many routines, he was only allowed to be on stage once. It made it difficult to know if he would even be noticed like that, but he was hopeful. Word of mouth was a powerful thing, and he was sure that people would talk about his performance to some degree.

Keith didn’t bother getting fully dressed. He was supposed to be available for a lap dance at any given time if someone requested him. He could change back into his booty shorts if he was called, but he was really hoping he wasn’t. There was a lounge area that wasn’t frequently used just to the left of the change rooms, and Keith made his way there. He sank into the worn sofa and sighed. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Keith hadn’t been requested for a lap dance his first night, but he had been requested for three the next night. He definitely hated lap dances the most. The intimacy of the situation was bothersome, but he did his best to be a professional about it. Still, he didn’t appreciate other people’s hands on him. They were only allowed to touch his hips, shoulders, back and chest unless he gave the patron permission to touch elsewhere; which absolutely was never happening.

The final night was when all of Keith’s hard work paid off. Pidge had been keeping an eye on the security cameras of both locations to see when someone who worked for the Galras would show up. Thace had briefly mentioned to Allura that it was rare that Lotor himself would pick people up, so at least Keith had less of a chance at being recognised. He only hoped of the goons who came by would either be too stupid to know it was him, or be someone that wasn’t there that day.

Pidge called Keith just before he was going on stage to mention that it was definitely the club he was at that they were hitting up. Keith thanked her and hung up before she could say more; putting his phone in his locker before heading to the stage. He steeled himself to put everything he had into this performance. The costume was the most extreme yet, and it made him feel a lot more naked then wearing clothing should. The outfit was a red, sparkly crop top accompanied by the same colour booty shorts that were under black tear-away pants. These shorts, unlike the ones he had worn the first night, were not the final show however. No, that went to the black lace-like thong he had underneath. It didn’t show anything he didn’t want either than a lot more of his ass than he was comfortable with, but he needed to make an impression. The outfit was completed with fishnet stockings, a garter belt, and red heels. The heels weren’t overly tall, but they apparently gave his ass a nice lift according to Nyma.

The routine started with him on the stage, which he managed to sneak on when the lights were down. The lights slowly came on with the thrumming on the base, Keith taking the front of the stage for the first verse. Nothing fancy, just slow gyrations and grinding. This song required him to act slightly submissive, like he wanted people watching to tie him up and make a mess of him. He gave the best sultry looks he could, while scanning the crowd for anyone who looked like they could be working for the Galra family.

When the chorus hit, he rid himself of his pants-eliciting whistles and jeers from the crowd-and made his way up to the pole for the second verse. The first part was just more using the pole as a prop, as he held his hands above his head like he wanted them chained, spinning into more complicated moves on the pole once the chorus hit once more. This routine had less spins and a lot more acrobatics, holding himself upside down and horizontally a few times before sliding down to crawl slowly back to the front of the stage for the third verse.

As he got to the front, he noticed an older man that he hadn’t seen the last time he was at the front. When he got closer, he recognised the man instantly. There in front of him, was none other than Zarkon Galra himself. Keith took everything he had to not lunge at the man and beat the shit out of him for causing him and his friends so much grief, instead he turned his rage into fuel for his dancing. Their eyes met, and Keith made it seem like the dance was just for him; he felt like vomiting as he did so, but he knew it needed to be done. Keith even went as far as to mouth some of the words of the song, just for an added bonus.

Money was shoved at him by other customers, and he made sure to give them attention as he made his way closer to where Zarkon was; he shoved the money in the garter, rather than the band of the shorts since they would soon be coming off. He eventually got close enough to Zarkon’s face that if he was anyone else, he could have lean forward and press a kiss to the man’s cheek. But he wasn’t someone else and there was no way he was going to do that, so he winked, stripped off the booty shorts and did a flip backwards and strode back to the pole to finish off the routine. There were more spins in this section, but also a lot more grinding against the pole. The routine ended with him halfway up the pole, one leg wrapped around the pole, one arm holding one of his legs up and the other stretched out. This position, which Nyma had told him was called ‘Stag’ pulled his already tight panties even tighter and gave the audience quite the sight.

They all erupted in the loudest cheers that Keith had heard yet, but that wasn’t what Keith was focused on. No, he was more interested in the man with piercing golden eyes who hadn’t taken his eyes off Keith since. Keith winked and made an extra show of moving his hips as he exited the stage. It was humiliating, and about ninety percent the reason why Shiro was not allowed to work at the same club as him, but it got his point across. He had barely even made it to the change room to wipe the sweat off him before Nyma told him he had been requested for a lap dance.

Keith slipped on a pair of black booty shorts and made his way to one of the private rooms. He was both pleased and disgusted to see Zarkon sitting there waiting for him. He closed the door behind him and put on his best sultry gaze. “Hello, sir. I’ve been told you’ve requested a private dance.”

Keith batted his eyelashes for good measure. Zarkon raised an eyebrow and looked at Keith up and down. “That I did. However, I was rather expecting the attire I saw you in.”

“Well, I’m sure I can make that happen.” Keith tried not to cringe as he moved over to the audio player in the corner. Nyma had only taught him basics and given him a list of songs to use. He found that some of the songs were just a lot harder to try and make movements up, so he chose the easier ones. This particular one was both slow and yet more modern enough that it worked with that he knew, so he usually chose the same song. Thankfully he hadn’t had any repeat customers to worry about it.

He swallowed back the bile in the back of his throat, and moved like this was any other person. Just to make it extra special to keep Zarkon’s interest, he added in stripping off the booty shorts-which were not of the tear away variety-into the routine he knew. Keith generally liked to keep the touching to minimum, but knew that to make Zarkon take the bait, he would have to be bolder.

Keith used everything that Nyma had taught him about where to touch, sliding hands up just high enough on the inside of the man’s thighs, how to move his hips enough to not cause too much friction, but just enough to tease, keeping his back turned to the man. The thing Keith hated the most about that was feeling the other men’s reactions to his movements, and tonight was no exception. Still, he had to play it up some, so he gave a light chuckle and pressed down a little harder. “Like that?”

There was an appreciate hum, but Zarkon said nothing more. Keith moved his body slowly in tantum with the music, taking his time to make it seem like he was feeling up Zarkon. “You can touch me too.”

He tried to make his voice sound breathy, like he _wanted_ to be touched.  Zarkon put his hands on Keith’s back, following trailing down from his shoulders all the way to the garter. It felt less sexual than the other people Keith had done this too, and more methodical, like he was looking for something. Which he probably was, Keith imagined. Looking to see if Keith was the right person to snatch for a sex android.

Zarkon’s hands stopped at his waist. Before he could move them, Keith leaned forward to give a better view of his ass. “Keep going.”

There were hands on his ass in an instant, and he hoped his shudder of revulsion came across as one of pleasure instead.  Eventually Zarkon trailed his hands forward, close to Keith’s crotch. He didn’t want the vile man to realize that he was getting absolutely no satisfaction from doing this, so he slipped away and moved to stand in front of him, wagging his finger and winking. He got back to dancing, the song being nearly over, this time facing Zarkon. The man continued to feel him up, but being sure to stay clear of Keith’s crotch this time. When the song was over, Keith linked his arms around the back of Zarkon’s neck and just stayed put. “You’re a little different from my other clients. I like it.”

Zarkon smirked, holding Keith by the hips. “Well, let’s just say I’m here for more than just the show.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, one of my employees told me there was a pretty little kitten here, and I just had to see for myself. He certainly was not wrong.” Zarkon moved a hand up to stroke the side of Keith’s face.

Keith leaned into the touch, willing himself not to vomit. “I’m glad to hear it.”

“I’d like to buy more of your time.”

“Another dance?” Keith was already running songs through his head, trying to think of one he could make work.

Zarkon shook his head, reaching into his pocket to take out his wallet. He held out a wad of cash, and Keith leaned back with a gesture, allowing Zarkon to slip the bills inside his garter. “No, I’d rather just talk this time.”

Keith settled back into position and tried to look inviting and sweet. “Talk about what?”

How he was managing to keep this act up was beyond him, but it was working, since Zarkon didn’t seem any the wiser of his real feelings. “Tell me something Nico, do you know who I am?”

Keith shook his head. “No sir. I haven’t lived here for long, so I don’t really know the whose who of the town. I’m taking it you’re someone important?”

“Well, I suppose you could say that. I have a few businesses in town. One of which is a club of my own. I like to pop by some of my competitors’ places from time to time and see if they have any talent that’s being wasted.” Zarkon’s hands were back to wandering around Keith’s body.

Keith bit his lip in what he hoped looked seductive. “Do you see someone you like here?”

“Mm, very much so.” A firm grip to his ass, and Keith forced himself to make a kind of keening sound. He looked at Zarkon with hooded eyes, really trying not to make it seem like a glare. “Tell me, are you set on working here? Or would you like something better?”

“I guess that depends on what you’re offering me,” Keith rolled his hips ever so slightly. “It’d have to be worth my while.”

Zarkon chuckled deeply. “Oh, I can promise you it would be like nothing you’ve ever done before.”

“Care to tell me a little bit more? What kind of work would I be doing exactly.”

“You’d be an entertainer, just like here. However, my clientele have a bit more money in their pockets than the regular riff raff you’re used to here. They do require a little… _more_ sometimes, but you’d be paid beyond anything you could make here.” One of Zarkon’s hands had moved in between Keith’s legs as he spoke, squeezing a bit with a wink.

Keith tried not to reach down and snap the man’s wrist. “Sounds like fun.”

“Would you be interested in working for me then? I promise that I will personally take _very_ special care of you.” The other wandering hand squeezing Keith’s ass again.

He needed to wrap this up, or else he was going to snap and murder the man right there. “I’d love to, Mister….?”

“Just call me Zarkon, kitten.”

Keith held back a gag at the name. “Well then, Zarkon. When shall I see you again?”

“Tomorrow night. Meet me at the back doors, and I’ll take you away from this place.”

Keith grabbed Zarkon by the tie and pulled him forward, just so he could get closer to the man’s ear; he also got the satisfaction of slightly choking the man as well, “I look forward to it.” He purred, before slipping off Zarkon’s lap. He picked up his shorts and shot Zarkon a kiss before slipping out of the room. He immediately headed back to where it was employees only, hurrying to get the money out of his waist band. He shoved it at Nyma before pushing past her into the washroom.

That had been one of disgusting and humiliating things he had done in his life. To be seductive to that man, to try and gain his favour, turned his stomach. He was happy he was able to hold back the bile while he was with Zarkon, but even now it was hard not to vomit. However, he knew that tomorrow would probably be much worse.

Since Keith could still feel Zarkon’s hands all over him, he took a shower, scrubbing himself red until he felt clean enough to come back out. Once dry, he got changed into his regular clothes and went upstairs with his phone to make his phone call in private. Pidge answered instantly. “I’m never going to be unable to see that.”

The private rooms had hidden cameras so that the patrons and employees stuck to the rules that the club was not a brothel. Nyma had told Keith about a few employees who though that they could make a few extra dollars whoring themselves out; which was very much against company policy. Pidge had tapped into those to keep an eye out just in case something happened to either Keith or Allura. She didn’t pay too close attention in general, but once she knew Zarkon was in the building, she kept a very close eye on the cameras. “Imagine how it felt being there.”

“Point taken. So, what’s the deal?”

“I’m going to come back to the safe house. I’ll tell you all everything once I’m there.”

Pidge groaned. “I knew I should have installed listening devices in all the rooms. Fine, I’ll let the others know. And just die in anticipation until you get here.”

Keith couldn’t help a light smile. “See you soon.”

He hung up and then used the company phone that was against the wall to call down to the bar. Normally employees were allowed to have drinks brought up to them after they were done, or at least one in between; most people just get water though. The head bartender, Tyler, answered the phone. “Hey, what can I get you?”

“Hunk. I need Hunk to come up and see me.” Keith knew he probably sounded rude, but Nyma had told Tyler that if Hunk was requested away from the bar, that he was to let Hunk leave and not expect him back.

Tyler sighed. “Yeah, you got it. Where do you want him?”

“At the back door,” Keith felt a little bad for being demanding. “Please and thank you.”

Tyler hung up and Keith made it down to the door. Nyma was waiting for him near the stairs, wad of cash in her hand. “You do get paid for doing your job, so here.”

Keith accepted the money. “Thank you. And thanks for, you know, letting me dance here.”

“Like I said, any time you need a job!” Nyma said before walking off with a wave.

Keith headed off to the back door where Hunk was waiting for him. “Hey! Did we get called in?”

“I made the call.”

“Oh! I didn’t even realize that anyone was here,” Hunk scratched the back of his head. “Sorry man, but I really can’t watch when you’re on stage. Doesn’t feel right, you know?”

“It’s cool. But yeah, I met the bastard Zarkon himself. So now we’re meeting the others. Let’s go.”

Keith pushed the doors open and made it to the old yellow Honda Civic that Hunk owned. The doors were unlocked and they were in and driving away before anyone could notice. Keith kept looking in the mirror every once in a while, just to be sure they weren’t being followed. The club was about a twenty-minute drive from the safe house, so they had some time to get there. Balmera was closer, about a twelve-minute drive, so Shiro and Allura should be getting to the safe house around the same time.

As it turned out, they got there first. Pidge and Coran were waiting for them in the living room, Pidge’s open laptop on the coffee table. “Where’s Shiro and Allura?”

“Well, I called both of them, but they were busy. There had been a fight in the club and Shiro was escorting someone out, and Allura was finishing up a routine. As soon as they are free, they’ll join us.”

It turned out that that took another twenty minutes before Allura’s car pulled in. As soon as they came in the door, they could see why. Shiro had the beginnings of a black eye, and his knuckles were bandaged up. “What happened?!”

Shiro grimaced as he sat down. “When I was taking some punk out, he had a gang for buddies try and jump me. They got a few good hits in before I laid them out.”

Allura had disappeared into the kitchen, only to come back with an ice pack. She gave it to Shiro for his eye, before sitting down next to him and turning her attention to Keith. “So, what happened? Did one of his goons tell you to meet them somewhere?”

“Better. Zarkon himself came.”

Allura visibly tensed, fury very evident in her eyes. Keith was actually kind of glad that it wasn’t Allura-with her now dyed blonde hair-that got chosen. “What happened?”

“I noticed him while I was on stage, so I played it up. Got his interest, so he asked for a lap dance,” the group all cringed, but allowed Keith to carry on. “Then he told me he was a business man, and that he wanted me to work at his club. I’d be doing a little more than just dancing, and that he would come get me tomorrow at the back of the club.”

Allura stood up and began to pace, brown furrowed in thought. “Well, we obviously have to let you go with him, but I don’t like the thought of you going alone.”

“I don’t want to be around him any more than you do, especially by myself, but we don’t have a choice,” Keith said. “Pidge, you can hook up some kind of camera or something, right?”

“I’ll be giving you more than just a camera. It’s going to be super high tech, so it’s not picked up if you get checked for bugs. It’ll have GPS and a recording system in it as well. Only problem is, you won’t be able to here us. It’s too risky.” Pidge noted, already pulling her laptop to her to start working on figuring what she needed to make the device.

Shiro huffed from his space on the couch. “Is that it? He’ll be defenseless at the hands of that maniac!”

“I can take care of myself, Shiro!” Keith snapped.

“In any other circumstance, I would believe that, but dealing with this family has proven to be a lot more than a normal person can handle. Or did you forget the _gun to your head!?_ ” Shiro raised his voice ever so slightly.

Keith glared at his brother. “I didn’t forget. But I won’t let it get that far. All we need is Zarkon to confess about the androids, and we’ve got him. After that we’ve got him and his son detained, the cops can find the lab and we can save all the people who have been taken!”

“I’ll have the police on stand-by,” Coran piped in. “I’m sure Chief Kolivan will be more than happy to loan a few men help take down these scoundrels!”

Keith gestured to Coran, looking at his brother. “See? I’ll be fine! It’s not like I’m going in totally blind. I know what to expect basically, and all I have to do it get Zarkon to incriminate himself, and everything is fine. If he tries anything, this time I can drop his ass.”

“And who knows, maybe under the club is Zarkon’s lab.” Hunk noted.

Allura stopped his pacing. “You may be onto something, Hunk. When we checked Zarkon’s properties, there was nothing even close to resembling a club on the list, still isn’t and nor is there anything in Lotor’s name. If there’s a club he owns, it’s news to both me and Kolivan.”

“It probably is the lab, or at least something to do with the androids. It’s hard to tell if he would keep the actual people in the same space that they make the androids. But I think we’re probably on the right track with that theory.” Pidge muttered from her space on the couch. “Now that being said, I have a way to hide the camera that would make sense, but Keith?”

“Yeah?”

“How do you feel about wearing a collar?”

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh, the lap dance was so, SO hard to write. I had to take breaks every few lines because ew, just ew. 
> 
> Song Keith used for his first dance was Scandalous by Mis-teeq  
> Song Keith used for his last dance was Flesh by Simon Curtis  
> Song Keith used for the lap dance was Fantasy by Mystery Skulls 
> 
> Hope it was a good read at least! It was kind of fun to make up the costumes and stuff. Not big into strippers myself so google is my best friend! 
> 
> Until next time!!


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well I think I've kept ya'll waiting long enough! Not intentional, just had other things I was writing (aka smut one-shots that ate all my time)
> 
> Super happy to get this out before season 3! Wouldn't have been possible without my charming beta, callmesinpai. She is seriously incredible.
> 
> And as are all of you that constantly keep leaving me comments and kudos. It lets me know that I'm not doing terribly and people actually like reading this. 
> 
> SO, I hope you enjoy!

Keith stood against the back wall of The Lion’s Den, awaiting the vehicle that would take him away from the safety of his friends. He knew the risks of what he was doing, and he knew what was at stake if he failed. It wouldn’t just be his life, it would mean the lives of others as well. But if things turned out the way as planned, then not only were his friends safe, but a number of other lives were saved as well.

Which is why Keith ignored the nipping cold biting at his exposed skin, in the same way he had done so for the past hour. Zarkon never gave him an exact time, something Keith regretted not asking, but he would wait nonetheless. If Zarkon had posted people on lookout to see if Keith was actually waiting, then he would be there, absentmindedly pretending to look at his phone, all the while keeping a lookout in his surroundings. He knew that there were undercover cops just down the alley, and that Pidge was viewing the feed from his camera from the safety of a brand-new van; in company with the rest of the group.

After what felt like another hour, making it now ten in the evening, a shiny black limousine pulled up in the alleyway. A well-dressed driver that looked like he should be a pro-wrestler stepped out and made his way over to Keith. He silently assessed Keith, looking him up and down before giving a low grunt and gesturing to the limo. Keith gave the best smile that he could muster, and followed the driver to the vehicle. The door was opened, and the chauffeur motioned for Keith to enter.

Keith slid onto the plush leather seats, smiling back at the driver as he shut the door. Keith then turned his attention forward, noting Zarkon sitting at the far back, snifter of amber liquid in his hands. Golden eyes appraised Keith’s look. “I didn’t even think it could be possible for you too look even more radiant than last night.”

Keith held back a scowl, substituting it for batting his eyelashes and giving a shy but coy smile. “I wanted to look special for you.”

Allura had helped him out by suggesting a few lines that would keep Zarkon’s favour. It wasn’t anything extravagant, just small things like the line he had dropped, but it was enough. In addition, Allura had taken him to Shay in the morning, who had helped him with an outfit selection. The outfit was entirely black, consisting of tight black booty shorts, a v-neck tank top that was nearly see-through, and a half black leather jacket that was left undone to show the tank underneath. The accents of the jacket were all silver, to match with the skull choker he had around his neck. It was more of a leather collar than anything else, but it made Keith feel a little better to mentally note it as a choker. Inside the skull’s open mouth was the camera; which looked like a shiny onyx jewel to the outside eye.

Zarkon crooked a finger, motioning for Keith to join him on the other side of the limo. Keith got on his hands and knees and crawled slowly over to the older man. It was degrading, being on his knees in front of this monster, but it wouldn’t be for long. He made extra sure to sway his ass extra, making the motion catch Zarkon’s eye. Keith slipped into the seat beside the man, cozying up as close as he dared. Zarkon took another sip of his liquor before setting the glass off to the side. There was a briefcase at his side, which he opened and pulled out a stack of papers on a clipboard. “This is the employee contract. I expect you to read everything thoroughly, and sign where indicated.”

There was no messing around in his tone, right now Zarkon was all business. Keith took the clipboard from his hands, and got to reading it through. Everything seemed on the up and up, nothing even noted about sexual favours, or even dancing at all. It was mostly just saying that he consented to working for Zarkon, and would abide by the rules, and so forth. He took extra time looking it over, hoping the camera got it as well. He signed away with the fake name he chose for himself; there had been a huge debate on the name initially, but Keith liked the name he chose, so that’s the one he went with.

 Once finished, he handed back the papers to Zarkon, making sure to brush hands with the man. Zarkon read over the sheets quickly, making sure nothing was missed. “Damien Chase. Interesting name, for such an intriguing boy.”

With the help of the police in the morning, there was a file on Damien Chase in case Zarkon had the means to look into him. Something small, a little tussle, but at least something came up if anyone looked. He hoped it wouldn’t happen, and that no one would think to dig deeper, but what bases they could cover, they did.

Keith smiled and placed a hand on Zarkon’s thigh. “Glad I catch your interest.”

“I don’t bother with anyone that doesn’t.”

Keith smiled and squeezed Zarkon’s thigh. “So, you mentioned I’d be serving customers, and sometimes a little more that what I had been. Care to elaborate?”

Zarkon seemed to want to keep tight lipped about it, taking another sip of liquor instead. Keith was pushy though, and he needed Zarkon to talk. So he bit back the loathing, and maneuvered himself onto Zarkon’s lap, straddling the man’s thighs. Keith wrapped his arms loosely around Zarkon’s neck, pouting ever so slightly. Zarkon put his glass down once more and licked his lips, moving a hand down to grip Keith’s hips tightly. “We don’t have a no touching rule at my club. Any overly rough treatment is reprimanded of course, but it is the rule to make sure that every customer leaves pleased. The more you do, the higher your wage is. It’s really quite a competitive business.”

“I like a challenge.”

“Good.” Zakron gave a wicked smile that made Keith’s blood run cold. That was the smile of a man who knew more than he did-and technically as far as Zarkon knew, he did know more than Keith. However, Keith was one step ahead of him, and knew what he was in for. He only needed to keep this act up a little longer. Just get Zarkon to confess to what he was doing, and then the police would swarm the club.

After some time, there was a knock on the glass divider behind Zarkon’s head. “Ah, it seems we’ve arrived already.”

Zarkon didn’t seem as disappointed in that fact than Keith hoped. That meant that Zarkon was alright with leaving the close confines of the limo; to not have Keith in his lap any more. Keith couldn’t give up though, and gave another pout, lightly trailing his fingers up Zarkon’s tie. “That’s a shame. I was really enjoying the ride.”

His hand was taken away, but Zarkon gripped his chin and tilted his head up, leaning forward into Keith’s space; their lips nearly touching. “I’ll give you a better ride later.”

Keith made a noise that he hoped sounded like a whine, before allowing Zarkon to slide him off his lap. The door opened, and Zarkon gestured for Keith to leave first. He made a show of making his way out, winking over his shoulder at Zarkon as he stepped out of the car. He stood off to the side, waiting for Zarkon to join him.

As he waited, he took a look around at where they were. He didn’t recognise the area at all, but if he had to take a guess, he would say they were in the heart of the bad part of town. Windows were boarded up on all the buildings around them, and the alley reeked of vomit and piss. Zarkon was behind him and placed a hand on his hip. “I know it doesn’t look like much, kitten. But I promise, it’s better on the inside.”

Zarkon steered him to a shabby red door, only standing out from the two guards hiding in the shadows. Zarkon stopped him right in front of the door and pulled his hand away. “Now, they’re just going to pat you down. Just to be sure you’re not carrying anything dangerous on you.”

Keith looked at the guard that came forward, and stood with his legs spread wide, and his hands behind his head, showing he was more than familiar with a pat-down; he wasn’t but he’d seen enough movies to know what he should do. The guard moved slowly, taking extra time around Keith’s crotch. He was tempted to have an ‘accidental’ knee-jerk and get the guy in the nose, but he didn’t think that would go over so well. After the physical pat down, the guard took a metal detecting wand out of his jacket and ran it over Keith’s body. He waited with baited breath that Pidge’s device wouldn’t be picked up.

The detector kept going crazy over his jacket, so he took it off. After that, there were no more noises coming from the wand, which Keith held back a sigh of relief about. Keith didn’t bother putting the jacket back on, just slung it over a shoulder and held on. Zarkon nodded at the guard and the guard knocked on the door three times. The door swung open, creaking loudly as it did, showing yet another two guards on a wide landing in front of a set stairs.

Zarkon led the way, nodding at the guards before slowly descending the stairs. Keith followed behind, looking around at everything; though there wasn’t much in a dimly lit staircase. Zarkon stopped at a nice solid wooden door, knocking in a sequence that had to be code. The door didn’t creak when it opened this time, but the heavy bass from behind the room would have probably down most of the sound out if it did. Zarkon made sure Keith was still following, before stepping into the dark opening.

Keith couldn’t see anything around him, but there was a bit of light pulsing down the hall, allowing him to easily follow Zarkon’s figure in the shadows. Keith moved forward and gripped Zarkon’s arm, holding it tightly like he was a little nervous. Zarkon didn’t comment on the movement, but he also didn’t brush Keith off, which was a good sign. They reached the end of the hallway, and the music was near deafening. There were other noises that Keith could barely hear but couldn’t place. “Are you ready, kitten?”

He hoped there was enough light for Zarkon to see him nodding. He was getting anxious about what could be in the dark hall with them, and more than nervous to see what was behind the curtain. Zarkon didn’t make him wait long though, having seen his nod, and pushed the curtain open, allowing Keith to step through first.

The inside was nothing like The Lion’s Den, nor Balmera. Everything was in black and purple, lights bright enough to see, but dim enough to give an atmosphere. The strobe pulsed along with the heavy beats pounding out of the large sound system. There was a bar in the back corner, looking like it was worth more than a million dollars itself; black lacquered counter tops, and a waterfall behind the large glass racks of booze.

There was a large dance floor near the speakers, and off to the side were cages rather than poles. The bodies moving in the cage were only clothed in little thongs, writhing against the bars for the customers enjoyment. Hands reached through bars to grope and touch, but none of the people seemed to mind, even pushing against the touches like they wanted more.

There were booths only, surrounding the edges of the club. Each booth had a table, and nearly every table with a patron had someone working the poles. Keith noted that the general attire ranged from a skimpy thong to a full spandex fetish suits. Most of the employees wore spandex, now that Keith was really looking, and none of them seemed uncomfortable with the tightness.

One of the waitress, a young woman dressed in something Keith could try and call a maid outfit if asked, came over to them with drinks ready on her tray. It could be called a maid outfit, he supposed, but really it was just lace nipple pasties in the shape of hearts, a thong, and a garter with frills on the side to make it seem like a maid’s skirt. The garter attached to fishnets, and the outfit was finished with the tallest heels Keith had ever seen in his life. He tries not to stare too much, but he had to be sure that what he was seeing was also being seen.

Zarkon took the drinks from the tray and dismissed her, holding a blue concoction for Keith to take. He was hoping would have been able to go through the whole night without being offered anything to drink, but he couldn’t exactly refuse if Zarkon was offering directly. He would have to discreetly make it look like he was drinking it, while trying to get rid of the liquid inside. He didn’t trust the drink wasn’t drugged, and there was no way in hell he was letting his guard down when he was here.

As the waitress passed him, Keith took a good look at her face. Her eyes were dim, lifeless. Keith inhaled sharply at the realization at what that could mean. He looked at the others working in the club and realized that despite the sultry looks on their faces, there was something missing in their expressions that didn’t seem as human as the patrons. Which only left one explanation.

The entire club’s staff was entirely made of androids. There wasn’t very many in total, less than twenty, but it was enough to keep the party going. Keith’s heart raced. If this was the club where people could purchase the androids, then maybe Hunk had been right and this was really the lab they were looking for. It did make the club all that more dangerous for him to be in, but he knew what he was in for.

Keith put the glass to his mouth, and made it seem like he was taking a sip. Zarkon was watching out of the corner of his eye, and Keith pulled the glass back, licking his lips. “Delicious.”

Thankfully Zarkon didn’t notice how no liquor had gone down from the glass. Keith took his time to look at the club again, taking everything in. There were only two sections of wall that didn’t have booths in them. At the far back where it looked like booths could be, there were dark purple curtains. The other was a door off in a dark corner by the bar. Zarkon walked towards the door in question, and Keith followed dutifully. He set his drink down on one of the table as he followed Zarkon, which thankfully Zarkon didn’t comment on. There was yet another guard over-seeing this door, and he let Zarkon in without hesitation. Keith slipped in behind Zarkon, feeling even more anxiety as the door closed behind them.

The room he was in was better lit than anywhere else. It looked mostly like a store room, liquor crates everywhere, but off in the corner was a wardrobe. To the left of the door was a set of stairs that led up to a walkway. Zarkon was heading to the wardrobe however, completely ignoring the stairs. He opened the double doors and perused it’s contents. Keith slowly made his way over, still moving around so the camera caught everything. “Strip.”

Keith was caught off guard by the sudden command. “What?”

“Strip out of your clothes. I’m getting you a better outfit.”

Zarkon now had an outfit draped over his arm, watching Keith intently. Since Keith had been posing as a stripper, he couldn’t exactly try and play shy about removing clothes with an audience. And as much as he would love to just break character and beat the life out of the man before him, he knew he couldn’t. He gave a smirk and moved his body like he was back at The Lion’s Den. The bass vibrating from the club behind them helped him move, being able to follow the beat as he went. The jacket was tossed off to a corner of the room, while Keith did his best to make a show of taking off his shirt. The booty shorts went next, leaving him only in the thong Shay had told him he _had_ to wear to make the outfit look good.

Golden eyes lingered on the remaining piece of cloth covering his modesty. “That needs to go too.”

Keith nearly broke there, but gritted his teeth while trying to maintain a coy smile. He slipped out of the last remaining piece covering his dignity, and tossed it at Zarkon’s face. The man caught it, a smirk on his face. He tossed Keith the outfit it had chosen, and threw the thong with the rest of Keith’s clothes. The outfit Zarkon had given him to wear was basically just straps. There were two pieces that made the entire outfit. The top piece consisting of four straps around the middle, and another four straps for over his shoulder; two on each side. The bottoms looked like they were supposed to imitate a thong and garter. There was one band at the top to go around his hips, then under was a thong that just barely covered him completely. Along the back were two straps, one on each leg, that went over his ass and held the three tight leather straps that went around each leg.

The outfit was a bitch to get into, but Keith wouldn’t let Zarkon see him struggle much. He was thankful that Zarkon didn’t insist on making him take off his choker; he didn’t want to make up some excuse as why he needed to keep it on. Zarkon never took his eyes off Keith as he got dressed, gold calculating and cool.

“Well, how do I look?” Keith spun around a little bit, showing off the entire outfit. The back didn’t cover his ass much, but he did was seemed right to make Zarkon happy in this moment.

“Stunning. But one more thing to complete the look,” Zarkon pulled open a drawer in the wardrobe and tossed Keith two cuffs for his wrists. They weren’t locked together, meaning Keith had free access of his hands if he needed to, so he put them on with a smile.

“Perfect,” Zarkon praised, walking forward to grasp Keith’s shoulder. “Now, I’ll show you how things work here.”

Zarkon led them back to the staircase by the door. Though it didn’t look like it from the inside of the club, there were two-way mirrors that made up the ceiling. The walkway spanned up over the club, allowing anyone to view the party going on beneath. Zarkon didn’t bother taking him over the club, just headed straight for where the curtains at the back had been. He stopped them once they reached the area, looking down at the semi-private rooms beneath. Keith looked too, and really wished he hadn’t.

It seemed that behind the curtains, anything could happen. In one there was a portly man plowing into a slender woman, who was chained with a gag against the pole in the middle of the table. Another held three nude boys all taking turns sucking off one man, kissing each other messily in between. All the patrons wore masks, covering who they really were from view. Keith leaned forward more, like he was actually interested in what was going on.

“This is a special service that my employees can provide for an additional, hefty, fee. I expect that you can do this much.”

Keith shuttered. “I think I’ll fit right in.”

Zarkon smirked and lead Keith on. There wasn’t much left of the walkway until they reached a metal door with a passcode. Keith was close, making sure his camera was trained on the lock before Zarkon punched in the code. There was a mechanical buzzing, and Zarkon opened the door.

The lights inside were bright, and Keith squinted his eyes as they adjusted to the fluorescents. When his eyes could finally see the room inside, he was greeted with the sight of white walls. They didn’t help dim the brightness of the room any, almost seeming to glow themselves. The room smelt sterile, yet it didn’t have that hospital feel. Keith was moved forward down more stairs to the ground below.

To the right were what looked like cryo-pods; looking like something from a sci-fi movie, rather than real life. All of them had a long tube running from them, only to join together and go through the walk into another room. He couldn’t see inside the pods, they were too far away, but he counted twenty-eight in total. He could only imagine that the bodies of those who had been taken from Zarkon were inside-including Lance.

The left  side of the room was something more like a laboratory. There were people working tirelessly around one of the tables, all leaning over to cover what was on top. One of the workers looked up, and Keith nearly gasped. It was Matt Holt. His glasses were gone, he looked like he’d been half starved, and he had bruises all over his face and exposed arms, but it was still the Matt that Keith remembered from his childhood. He turned his body more towards the area to give Pidge a clear view of her long-lost brother for a while before turning back to Zarkon. “So, what is this place?”

“This, my dear boy, is where the magic happens,” Zarkon answered cooly. “I found the best way to run an establishment such as this, is to exclude the human element altogether.”

“Ooh, so how do you do that?”

Zarkon chuckled, something dark that made Keith feel cold. “You’ll see.”

Skirting the answer would get Keith nowhere. They needed a verbal confirmation about what this bastard was doing. The hand on Keith’s shoulder tightened, giving him little option but to stay close. Zarkon led them away from the lab section and towards the pods. Keith tried his best not to let the sinking feeling in his stomach stop him from getting closer. Zarkon stood in between two of the last pods. Keith looked at them intently. “What’s in there?”

Before Zarkon could answer, a door off to the side of the lab burst open. The scientists all visibly flinched and hunched even further over their work. Keith was relieved when Zarkon let go of his shoulder, but a lot less so when he turned to see who entered. He had been hoping for reinforcements, that the visuals Keith had gotten were enough to get Zarkon put away for life, but that was not the case. No, striding into the room was Keith’s worst nightmare.

Lotor wasn’t wearing a mask today, but it was very recognizably him. The same long, platinum blond hair from the alleyway when Lance was snatched away from him. If he hadn’t been getting reinforcements before, he really hoped after seeing Lotor that Pidge would send the cops bursting in to his rescue.

Keith was fucked, he knew that as soon as he set his eyes on the tall man. In his head, he was running through ways that he could even possibly hope to get away, but nothing looked promising. There were guards everywhere, and he knew first hand they all carried guns with them. This could be it for him, but hell at least he found the lab.

Lotor himself didn’t slow his stride, cock-sure smile on his face. “Well, father, you weren’t kidding. This is quite the beauty you’ve found.”

The blond stopped in front of them, eyeing Keith up. Keith kept his face as relaxed as he could, looking inviting. He didn’t know if it was sheer dumb luck, but Lotor hadn’t said a thing about recognizing him yet, and Keith prayed that it would stay that way. Perhaps he was forgettable enough that Lotor didn’t even remember him at all.

“I promised you someone stunning, didn’t I?”

Lotor hummed appreciatively. “Where did you pick this one up?”

“The Lion’s Den,” Zarkon said boredly. “His name is Damien. Now, I believe we had a deal if I found one to your standards.”

“Yes, yes,” Lotor waved his father off. “If the newest one doesn’t work, we pull the plug and I have a new toy to play with.”

Lotor’s icy hands cupped his chin, lifting it up. “You have the most gorgeous eyes.”

Keith didn’t dare speak, lest his voice give away that he was the one with Lance in the alley. He didn’t know if it would or not, but he wasn’t taking any chances. Lotor circled him, and Zarkon moved away some, giving his son room to do whatever he wanted. Lotor trailed hands all around Keith’s body. There were low whistles of approval when he felt something he liked. Hands were on his ass, dipping too close to his entrance. Keith jerked forward for the sudden sensation, trying his best not to turn around and break Lotor’s nose.

Lotor just laughed and gave a firm slap to one of Keith’s ass cheeks. Keith was starting to tremble, both from slight fear at his inability to escape, and the sheer rage he was suppressing. Lotor just continued to feel him up slowly and methodically, reaching around to give his dick a squeeze, before trailing up.

Suddenly hands were roughly in his hair and his head was pulled back. “I really do look forward to our time together,” Lotor licked up the side of his neck, biting at his earlobe. “Keith Kogane.”

  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I spend like 20 minutes on google trying to find a good bondage outfit for Keith for this. This one seemed the best. Poor Keith :/
> 
> Writing with Zarkon in this manner always grosses me out, but it need to happen to further the plot. Still icky. And I know there's going to be some questions, but so much is going to be answered next chapter! So hang in there!
> 
> Two more chapters and an epilogue left! 
> 
> Thank you again, so much, for all the comments and kudos left on this fic. It drives me to keep going!
> 
> Until next time (which will absolutely be after season 3)!


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we go. Two more chapters left.
> 
> Big thanks to my beta, callmesinpai, who is wonderful and amazing and I wouldn't post anything without her.
> 
> Now, WARNINGS!!!!!
> 
> This is the DARKEST chapter that I have. It mentions sexual assault, mentions torture, gore (In a sense).
> 
> And there is a LOT of dialogue in this. I have more notes, but I'll save those for the end, as they have spoilers for season 3
> 
> Enjoy?

Keith froze up for only a second before moving swiftly away from Lotor, just enough to swing a fist in between them. He connected, a sense of satisfaction washing through him as Lotor released him and howled in pain. Keith only had moments to attack the man while he was disoriented, and he made every second count. He mustered up all his blinding fury and struck at Lotor again, punching him in the gut hard enough the other man doubled over. Grabbing a fist full of hair, he brought knee upwards and heard the satisfying crack of a broken nose. 

He kicked Lotor to the ground and spun to face the other opponent in the room. Zarkon hadn't moved from his spot, arms crossed and amused smirk gracing his features. This only served to aggravate Keith more, and he went after the taller man. This was his chance to take them both down until his back up came; which he seriously hoped was on the way. Farm in relaxed his stance as Keith ran at him, blocking the first punch with ease. Keith struck again, and once again was blocked as if he was moving in slow motion. The condescending smirk never left Zarkon’s face. He struck at Keith, fast enough that Keith was barely able to dodge.  Zarkon moved to punch him again, and Keith could do was block. Pain shot through his arms, but he wouldn't let that slow him down. He tried to hit Zarkon again, but his wrist was caught easily. Zarkon bent twisted his arm, and Keith did his best not to buckle under the pain. Zarkon took the opportunity to knock Keith off his feet, sending him crashing to his knees. Keith tried to spring back up, only to have Zarkon bring his elbow sharply down on the back of Keith’s head. His vision wavered, and that was all the time Zarkon needed to shoved him on the ground, bending his arm against his back. Keith thrashed, trying his best to escape his captor, but to no avail. Keith had sparred with many strong opponents before, but nothing compared to the sheer brutal force behind this man. 

There was a click, and then a weight against his back, holding him in place while Zarkon grabbed his other arm to meet the first one. Another click, and Keith realized with dread that the cuffs hadn't just been for show, and now he was unable to use his arms. Zarkon stood up, and pulled Keith up with him by the chain linking his wrists. Four guards rushed in, guns drawn and aiming at Keith. Zarkon waved them off, not needing the extra help. “Well, now. Who would have thought that the boy who had harbored my son’s favorite toy would be smart enough to infiltrate my club.”

Lotor staggered up, blood pouring out from his nose. “If you had looked at the photo I sent you….”

Zarkon sighed, glancing at his son. “I have far better things to do with my time than look at all the pictures of people who go against you. It would take all day.”

“But father, surely this time-”

“Silence!” Lotor was instantly quiet, though fury raged behind his eyes. Zarkon turned his attention back to Keith. “Well Keith, since you’re here, I might as well show you what you came for.”

Zarkon gripped him tightly by the arm and dragged him towards the pods. He wiped off the condensation on the glass and slammed Keith into the glass so his face was resting on the glass. Inside, as he feared, was a person. It was the same girl that had served him a drink less than an hour before, yet Keith was certain this one was real. She was skinny, too skinny to be healthy, and all but looked dead. The monitor off to the side told that she was still alive, but all vitals were low. 

“Isn’t she magnificent? She was one of the first, and my favorite by far.”

“You’re sick. Why the fuck are you doing this!?” Keith spat. “You’re taking away people’s lives just to make sex androids for you sell to other perverts?”

“Are you not one of those ‘perverts’ who fucked an android?”

Keith tried to kick at Zarkon but the other man easily dodged. “Go fuck yourself.”

Fingers gripped his hair and pulled him up to come face to face with Zarkon. He spat in Zarkon’s face, and was rewarded with a sharp backhand to his cheek. It stung, and Keith’s eye’s watered, but he refused to cry out; still glaring daggers at Zarkon. “I’ll have you know, boy, that this was never my intention. However, I can’t say that I don’t enjoy how it’s turned out.”

“Oh so your plan wasn’t to create some fucked up underground sex ring? I find that really fucking hard to believe.”

Another smack to his face. “I did this for my wife.”

In all the documents that they had dug up on Zarkon, there had been very little mention that he had a wife. There was no name, no photos, and no one knew for certain if she had been Lotor’s mother or not. The small amount of records they could find only led to before Lotor had been born.  Zarkon was annoyed, anger bristling in his gaze. “My dear late wife Honerva contracted an infection on one of our vacations. She fell terribly ill, and then slipped into a coma. After a while, it was determined she would never wake up, and I had the choice to pull the plug.”

Keith wanted to tell Zarkon that he didn’t care, because he didn’t give a fuck about his late wife, but he knew he needed this information. “So what, you made her into some sex android? How romantic.”

He was ripped away from the pods and held by his neck. “I wanted to save her. I loved her more than anything, or any one. Life support wasn’t good enough, so I hired some of the world’s most brilliant minds to build a cryo-chamber to preserve her while I figured out a way to save her. I tried hundreds of chemists, talking to doctors from all over the planet, and  _ no one _ had any answers how to save her. But then, I had an epiphany. If modern science could preserve her, brain enough, perhaps I didn’t need her body. I only need her mind. So, I searched for the best in android research, until I came across a young genius whose talent was being wasted away in a computer repair shop. He had written incredibly detailed and riveting papers on how to create artificial bodies, and how to connect a human brain to them. He was laughed off, having the theories called science fiction, but I saw the potential.”

Keith looked to Matt, who was now hunching in on himself as he worked. Zarkon glowered. “You seem to know our dear Matthew. Another reason for your foolish heroics perhaps?” Keith snapped his gaze back to Zarkon, refusing to answer. “It was such a shame initially, that when I approached him to expand his research, fully funded, he refused me. Saying that what I wanted from him was impossible. That even if he could whip up a fully functioning android, Honerva’s mind would probably not take to it, nor could he do it in the short amount of time I needed.”

“Well, clearly that wasn’t the answer I wanted to hear. I had the key to saving my wife, and I would be damned to let it slip away. So, found the one thing he cares about the most, and used that against him.” Zarkon smiled, something sinister and chilling. “I told him, that if he refused to come with me, to work for me, that I would kidnap his precious little sister, and then him. I would have my men assault her, and I have a lot of men who would die to have a piece of such a cute thing, then I would have her tortured until her mind broke. Until finally, I would end her life. All right before his very eyes.”

Keith felt for Matt. Felt horrified for both Pidge, and her brother. If he had a moment where he could attack, he could beat Zarkon to a bloody pulp. “As you can see, the threat worked very well. Matt came to work for me, and with a carefully selected team, was able to get the first base android going. We did some tests, and they were all miserable failures. I worked them day and night until they finally came up with an android that accepted a human mind.” 

“It was an ugly thing, not really resembling the person we used as a test subject, but it worked. They had all their memories, and had all the emotions that one would expect from a human being. It was a miracle, but the body needed tweaking. I hired some artists who specialized in latex, and they were able to create the likeness of the working test subject. We re-transferred her consciousness, and it was finally perfection.”

“Great, so you made your wife into an android. Well done, you twisted fuck.” Keith snapped, done with Zarkon’s droning explanation. He knew he needed more, but he more than that he needed a way to get out of his confines. He was desperately wondering what the hell happened to the back-up he was supposed to have.

A punch to the stomach this time, and Keith nearly vomited from the force. “An android was made, in all the likeness of my love. She was stunning, as she always had been, and it was finally time to have my wife back,” Zarkon sighed deeply, something almost sad. “But, her mind wouldn’t take to the program, and the stressed ended her life.”

Deep down, Keith knew when Zarkon started his story, that he probably hadn’t been able to save his wife. He sort of felt bad to some extent, but the loss of a loved one was no reason to go completely insane and start building sex robots. “So you build a sex robot to be your comfort?”

Zarkon grabbed his wrist, twisting it and forcing it back roughly. Keith heard the snap of his bone and let out a pained yelp. “Insolent boy. You would do well to keep your mouth shut. Or else it won’t just be  _ your _ life on the line.” 

There was a pained shout, and Keith’s looked to Matt, who was being held by his hair and had a gun pointed to his temple. Keith clenched his eyes, calming himself as much as he could before he got his friend killed. Zarkon seemed content when Keith’s gaze rested back on him. “I was going to end the lives of everyone who worked on the project, as I simply couldn’t have it leaked about what I was doing. But I was stopped by my greedy son. He had taken to the first working android, using her body in the ways he saw fit. Unfortunately, he was a little too rough on her, and she broke; mind not being able to handle the psychological torment any more.”

“He begged me to build a new one, a better one that would obey him. That wouldn’t complain or scream about the things he did to it. He frequented many sex clubs in the area, but told me nothing compared to the feeling of the android. Told me people would pay handsomely for a similar experience. For unending servitude.”

Zarkon started dragging Keith towards the lab. “He had a keen eye for exceptional beauties of both gender, fancying both, unlike myself. He would go to clubs and find the most vulnerable things to woo and bring back here. Ones that wouldn’t be missed if they were gone, runaways and orphans mostly,” Zarkon looked briefly back at the pods. “I helped ever so often, bringing in more women than men. I ended up finding my favorite, and she looked so much like my dear Honerva when she was younger, so I had to have her. I later learned that she is my estranged niece-in law, Auxia, but I love her nonetheless. She may not be a total replacement, since no one ever could, but she’s a close second.”

He hadn’t thought that the story would get any less twisted, but he had been wrong. The poor girl, defiled by her own uncle in ways that Keith didn’t want to think about. Zarkon continued. “Everything was going well, until one night when he went to some seedy club called The Castle. There he met this...boy, and he fell in...infatuation.”

Lotor, nose bleeding a lot less. “It wasn’t infatuation!” He yelled. “I love him!”

Zarkon rolled his eyes. “This  _ infatuation _ led him to bring the boy to me after he broke his ankle on stage. Lotor hates things that break so easily, and wanted me to preserve the boy for him. He was terrified, and fought with every inch of his life not to be turned. There had to be major adjustments to his programming, just to make sure he’d never remember anything, that he would be loyal to my son.”

“Yet somehow, your  _ genius _ managed to fail on every level.” Lotor snapped.

“The program did fail after a while, as it was determined that this boy had far more will to fight than any of the others. He started to remember, and started to fight back. He even tried to call home once, before he was caught,” Zarkon pulled him towards the table, Keith barely being able to see a glance of skin through the scientists. “So, Lotor begged me for a new one. A more manageable one with less will. As it was being made, we decommissioned the faulty android, and I tasked two of my men to dispose of him. I had said to burn the body, but they got lazy and buried him in a dumpster. Where you found him.”

“I never would have imagined that someone else would have the ability to bring the android, nor did we know at the time that two androids could not share the same consciousness. So while your faulty version was running, the better version couldn’t be activated. It ended up frying the system after many attempts, so Lotor sought you out.” 

“It wasn’t hard to find you,” Lotor added. “I just had to look through all the employees and have some of my men look into each of them. You biggest mistake was walking out in public with him, that’s how we found you.”

“He knew where you worked, where you live, and who helped you fix the android. He was there when you met that big fellow, and that’s when the problems started popping up, according to my son.”

“Here I thought after I took Lance back, you wouldn’t bother coming after him. How wrong I was,” Lotor snapped his fingers, and two more guards came out, dragging something in between them. Keith’s head was shoved forward to look at the table. It was another version of Lance, head tilted to the side, blank eyes staring off into nothing.They were working on the wiring in his back, looking nearly the same as what Keith remembered from when Pidge opened him up last. He was pulled back to see what Lotor has brought out.

It was Lance, his Lance, but damaged beyond saving. All the was left of him was his head and torso. Everything from his hips down had been removed, as well as his arms just before his shoulders. The worst part, was that he was still active. Eyes were dim, but he was still able to move his head to look at Keith. He dropped his gaze when they made eye contact, staring at nothing more than the floor.

He had been carried by what was left of his arms, and was unceremoniously dropped onto his back. Zarkon moved Keith over top of the droid and threw him on Lance’s broken body. He landed on his broken wrist. He turned, laying so he was facing Lance. “Aw isn’t that sweet!” Lotor crooned, dropping down in a crouch beside him. “He really liked you, you know. I think he always thought that you would come for him. And I suppose you did, since I am certain it was you that infiltrated the manor at my father’s party. He was so...broken-hearted that you left him. And as much as I love him, I did have to punish him for trying to leave me. Hence his missing limbs.

Keith tried to kick out at Lotor, but he simply just moved out of the way. Zarkon stepped on one of his ankles, putting enough pressure that it threatened to break. Lotor grinned at him. “And now look at you both. Reunited at long last….how pitiful you both look.”

Lotor grabbed Keith by hair, pulling him up to face him. “As soon as I get my perfect toy back, we’ll be making you into an android too. If you’re lucky, and if I’m in a good mood, perhaps once the change is done I’ll let you two fuck in front of me. Then you can service me together, before I sell you to the most grotesque buyer we can find. Some of these fat, rich fucks have some less than legal kinks.”

“And if you thought that the nosy detective you went to help for would ever be able to take me down, think again,” Zarkon drawled, grabbing Keith by the throat and lifting him up. Keith struggled, trying to breathe as Zarkon slammed him on an empty lab table, hard enough to knock the wind out of him and aggravate the break in his wrist. “That little pest’s father tried to take me down years ago, even though we had once been friends. I had him killed, and once I’ve taken care of you, her and her team will be disposed of as well. I’ve already taken care of her inside leak. Thace had been such a good employee, it was such a shame to lose him.”

Keith’s heart sank. Allura hadn’t been able to contact Thace before, and how they had a reason as to why. He felt for the man, who had given up his life just to give them a shot. Zarkon motioned for four guards to hold him, keeping him still on the table while Zarkon disappeared from sight. “Honestly, at this point I wish I could just kill you, but it seems my son wants you. You’ve caused so much trouble for me, and my company.”

“Wouldn’t have been such a problem if you actually taken what I told you seriously…” Lotor muttered.

Zarkon ignored his son, coming back with a needle in hand. “You won’t feel anything after I inject this into you. It’ll be like falling asleep, but you’ll never wake up.”

Keith struggled against his hold even more, pain in his wrist excruciating but he wasn’t about to let that stop him. If he stopped, then who knew what would happen to him. He didn’t know what had happened, but if his back-up wasn’t here yet, then it was up to him to get himself out of this mess before something worse happened to him. The needle was nearing his neck, and Keith pushed as far away from the needle as possible, but it wasn’t good enough. He closed his eyes, and waited for the sting of metal breaching his skin. 

“No!” Keith opened his eyes just in time to see Matt running full-tilt into Zarkon. They crashed into the ground, needle flying out of Zarkon’s hand and rolling under the table. In the commotion, the guards had released their grasp on Keith, giving him an opportunity to strike. He kicked the two in the face, knocking them back before sitting himself up, spinning to do the same to the others. One of his legs was caught, but the other caught the third guard in the nose. The four th guard tried to grab his other leg, but Keith wasn’t letting it happen. He tucked his leg underneath him and propelled himself upwards, smashing his head into the guard’s face. It was enough to get the guard to let go, and allow Keith to kick him down. 

Matt was struggling with Zarkon on the floor, trying to hold the man down. Keith tried to help, but forgot momentarily about both the others guards and Lotor; and the fact that the guards he had hit were still able to move. He was grabbed by his neck, Lotor seething in his face. “You think you’re so smart, but did you honestly think a little rebellion would stop us? Nothing can stop us now!”

The doors burst open and the police flooded in, Kolivan at the lead. The guards turned, guns drawn to the police, but were quickly taken out. Lotor released Keith, trying to flee in the excitement. Three police officers went after him, following him out of the room. Keith slid off the table, trying to get to Matt so he could help, but came face to face with a pistol. Zarkon’s eyes wild with rage. “You did this! All my work, ruined because of some dumb brat who fell in love with a mechanical fuck toy.”

Zarkon pulled the trigger, and two things happened. The gun went off, loud bang echoing through Keith’s ear, and Keith was pushed down onto the ground. He looked to see Matt, smiling down at him, eyes welling up. “Thank you, Keith.” was the last thing he said before he dropped onto Keith, blood pooling from the wound on his back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OKAY OKAY OKAY
> 
> So like fuck, I had this entire story outlined back in like February right? I had ALWAYS had it planned that Haggar was Zarkon's wife, and he did all of this for her because he loves her.  
> And holy shit that relationship and attitude for those two is CANON. I screamed.  
> Also, wasn't originally planning on using Auxia/Acxa, but it just worked. Spelling it the way I did was chosen to make it less alien XD
> 
> Thanks to all those who are continuing to read this twisted mess. It's nearly over. Can never promise a happy ending, but hope you'll all stick with me!
> 
> Until next time!


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot believe that it's already been 6 months since I started this!! And I'm nearly done, only the epilogue.
> 
> So I really wanted to start this with a huge thank you to everyone who's been reading this and sticking with me. I know it's probably been tough, but I hope it's been worth it in the long run. I'll gush more when I post the epilogue, but just know I am so so appreciative of all the support.
> 
> This chapter is a LOT of information. You have been warned! 
> 
> As always, biggest thank yous to my beta callmesinpai for sticking with me through all this (and my other fics..) She's wonderful. (Although we both didn't catch that I wrote Ulaz rather than Kolivan in the last chapter. its been changed now XD)
> 
> And hey! If you like spooky things, check out Nothing There by anonymousCat! It's not gonna be like gorey or as twisted as this, but I'm really excited for it!
> 
> So, without further ado, the next chapter!

The weight of Matt’s body felt too heavy for someone who had lost so much weight. Keith tried to keep them both upright, but was failing due to his wrists being cuffed. He turned his eyes back on Zarkon, who looked stunned and infuriated at the same time. He trained his gun back onto Keith, preparing to pull the trigger once more, but the cops finally stepped in and shot him in the hand and once in each shoulder. Zarkon reeled back, howling in agony as the cops swarmed him.

“All clear!” One of the officers shouted, helping drag a cuffed Lotor back into the room.

The cops had gathered all of the surviving members of Zarkon’s bodyguards and started filing them out of the room. Zarkon and Lotor were kept at opposite sides of the lab, two police officers on each of them. Kolivan crouched down in front of Keith and Matt, gently prying Matt from Keith’s body and laying him out on the ground. He pressed a spare lab coat to the gushing wound, face tense as the white liquid seeped red quickly. “I’ve called for the paramedics on standby, but it will take a bit of time for them to get down here.”

Keith nodded slowly, not knowing what to say. His mind was racing a million miles per minute and his body was in agony. Loud, hurried footsteps could be heard in the steps, but Keith didn't bother looking who it might be. “Keith!!!”

His brother’s booming voice was welcoming at this moment. Shiro rushed to him, prosthetic arm gripping his shoulder tightly as he wheeled around to look at his brother’s face. There must have been some damage there, as Shiro’s face screwed up in anguish. Keith ignored it, settling for more pressing manners. “Shiro, I need you to uncuff me.”

“What!?”

“The cuffs. Undo them. Then go help Chief Kolivan with M-”

“Oh my god!! Matt!!!” Pidge’s distraught voice echoed through the room. Keith looked to see her bolting into the room, the rest of the team quickly following suit. Pidge was right at her brother’s side in moments, tears spilling over her cheeks as she gripped onto her brother’s hand for the first time in years.

The disturbance had distracted Shiro for a minute, before remembering what Keith needed him to do. He undid the small chain, which thankfully had only been clasped rather than locked, setting Keith free. He removed the cuffs from his wrists, wincing as he gingerly took the one off his broken wrist. “Go help Kolivan. I just have a broken wrist.”

Shiro looked like he was going to tell him off, that there was no way he was leaving his brother, but a wet sob from Pidge caught his attention. Keith pushed him with his good hand, telling him to go. He knew he was running out of time, and needed Shiro away from him. One more shove, and Shiro moved over to where his best friend lay bleeding on the floor, slinging an arm over Pidge and holding her tight. Keith got up, wincing at the pain in his abdomen as he staggered over to the broken android a few feet away. Hunk had joined Coran in examining each of the pods, taking photos and marking down how many people were there. Allura had gone to where Zarkon, but was being held back by one of Kolivan’s officers so she wouldn't do any more damage.

Keith dropped, unable to keep himself up, dragging himself the rest of the way until he collapsed on Lance’s damaged body. He place a shaking hand on Lance’s face. “Lance?

The droid pressed his cheek against the palm on his face. “Hey.”

His voice was hollow, vacant of any real emotion. If anything, he just sounded exhausted. Keith let the he had been holding back spillover. “Hey.”

“Looks like you did it. Saved us from Zarkon’s tyranny. I knew you could.” His head spasmed in Keith’s grasp; jerky movement that calmed down after a few moments. “I don’t think I have long left. So let me just say this now. Thank you. For..everything. Finding me, getting fixed, treating me like a...person, rather than a thing.”

Lance was starting to sound more robotic by the minute, automated flat tones peppering his sentences. Keith sobbed lightly, trying to smile through his heartache. “ _We_ did it Lance. We never would have found this place without you.”

“I'm happy you did. Not just me...but everyone else, we can all be free now. Thanks to you guys.”

Keith nodded. “You can live a normal life again. Be human.”

There was a dry laugh, followed by a metallic whine. “If I remember all this, I don't think I can ever go back to _normal.”_

Keith realized right then that there was a very real chance that Lance or any of the other victims wouldn't remember anything. He had no idea what was in that serum Zarkon almost injected him with, but it may have had something in it to mess with one's mind. Or perhaps prolonged exposure to the pods and being linked to the system completely screwed their thought process. The trauma alone could stop some people from even wanting to remember. Keith pulled Lance closer, holding him tightly with one arm. “Even if you don't remember any of this...if you don't remember me. I _promise_ I’ll still be by your side.”

“Even if I'm not the same person? I can't promise how much of me is real. If how much I love you was real.”

Keith choked back another sob, not wanting to draw any more attention to himself from the others. “No, that was real. It has to be. Because I feel the same. I love you, and I won't lose you this time. Never again.”

Lance moved his face and kissed Keith’s cheek gently. Keith captured the droid’s lips softly with his own. They pressed back gently before going completely slack, Lance’s body dead weight in his arms. He pulled back, looking into Lance’s vacant eyes. He was gone.

Paramedics arrived only moments later, rushing over to Matt to help stabilize him. He was alive, but just barely. If they got him to a hospital soon enough, they may just be able to save his life. Pidge had gone with her brother, refusing to leave his side for even a moment, while Shiro hung back. Keith was in a dull haze, barely allowing his brother to get him off the ground so another paramedic could check him over. A broken rib, a very broken wrist, and a few bruises on his face, nothing life threatening. The biggest concern for the paramedics was if he was in shock or not. They had wrapped him in a blanket after bracing his wrist, both to give him a sense of comfort and help cover his barely clothed body. Keith watched as Zarkon and Lotor were taken out of the room, parade of cops helping escort the two criminals away. Allura seemed like she wanted to trail behind, but Coran kept her back, pulling her to the pods. Keith slowly moved to the rest of the group, Shiro trailing behind in case Keith needed him.

Hunk had been at the same pod for a while, and when he turned, Keith could see the the tears streaking down his face. He motioned for Keith to come closer, to look in the pod with him; although Keith already knew what he would see. Lance looked ethereal in the pod, eyes closed like he was just sleeping. His body was alot skinnier due to malnourishment, but it was still distinctively Lance. There was a thick, black metallic headband around his forehead, red light flashing off to the left, which Keith assumed was probably what linked the minds with the program to some extent. Keith pressed a hand to the glass window of the pod. He wasn't sure why he did it, or what benefit it would bring, but it made him helped settle his swirl of emotions some. He wasn't sure what would happen with the people in the pods, how long it would take to get them out safely, but he knew he would probably have to be patient.

A hand clasped his shoulder. “We aren't sure how these pods work yet. All the scientists are in shock, and barely able to tell us their own names, let alone anything useful. We’ll have to call in some type of expert on this stuff, but it may take some time. In the meantime, you all need to vacate the the building.”

Keith wanted to snap at Kolivan, wanted to tell the man there was no way in hell he was leaving Lance again. That he would person stay and watch over everyone. However, the look on Kolivan’s eyes told him refusing would not be a wise choice. He shook Kolivan’s hand and looked to his brother who was just off to the side, waiting. Hunk was in a similar position as Keith, where he knew refusing wouldn't be wise, but that was all he wanted to do. He and Keith trailed after the rest of the group, silent and in Keith’s case, incredibly sore.

They all piled into one of Coran’s vans, making their way to meet up with Pidge at the hospital. “Kolivan will have officers waiting at the hospital for us to take our statements. I know we have video evidence, but that may not be enough. So please, be thorough.”

Allura’s voice was shaking. Coran placed a hand on her shoulder. “We have him, Allura. There's no way he will be able to escape incarceration this time.”

She nodded curtly, but said nothing more. No one wanted to say anything for the rest of the ride. Shiro handed Keith a bag with loose fitting clothes in it so he could be properly dressed before they were out in public. Keith wanted to get the disgusting sex-slave outfit off him completely, but in the back of a cramped van was not the place to do so; plus it hurt enough to slip on a pair of sweats and a hoodie over top.

The hospital was buzzing with excitement, as it usually was, but there seemed to be a lot more tension as they were whisked away into a private room. There was a psychologist, two police officers, and a nurse inside the room, all waiting patiently for the group to file in. Keith was sat down and asked to give his statement, everything from the strip club until right now. He gave as much deal as he could, trying to remember every single second of his time with Zarkon. He was also asked a few questions from the psychiatrist, who was there to access him for trauma. Everyone else aside from his brother was ushered out of the room when it came to that; and Shiro was only allowed to stay because Keith let him.

Keith was given the okay to leave after an hour of talking. The psychiatrist said there was nothing wrong with him that she could tell, but if he ever had any concerns or intense feelings he couldn’t handle, he could come back at any time. Coran was the only one waiting for them when they stepped out of the room, softly speaking to one of the guards until he noticed them. “Where’s everyone else?”

“With Pidge. Matt is in surgery and it was asked of us to keep her company so she doesn’t burst into the operating room.” Coran answered, after bidding the guard farewell.

Shiro nodded. “Lead the way.”

Keith stayed quiet. It hurt to walk, it hurt to breathe, and his heart ached with a turmoil of emotions. No one tried to get him to speak either, and he was thankful for that. He just wanted to lay down and sleep. It was the three in the morning, and he was exhausted, but who knew how long it would take before he could catch some rest. Keith didn’t want to seem heartless and not be there when they got the news if Matt was going to be alright or not either though; Matt was like a second brother after all.

Pidge was curled in a chair, face hidden against her knees, with Hunk and Allura on either side of her. They looked tired, but didn’t seem any sadder than before, letting the others know that there was no news on Matt. The waiting room had no one else in it, so Keith found a chair a little bit away from the others and lounged in it. He couldn’t curl up due to his broken ribs, but sitting felt a lot better than standing. Shiro crouched in front of Pidge and spoke softly to her, words that Keith couldn’t make out but knew they were comforting. Coran sat beside Allura, placing a hand on her shoulder and squeezing it in reassurance.

The silence was broken by a shrill ring. Hunk winced and grabbed his cell phone. “Sorry, it’s Lance’s parents. I called them about half an hour ago.”

He excused himself quickly as he answered the phone, voice wavering as he greeted Lance’s parents. Hunk was only gone for maybe fifteen minutes, but when he came back, his cheeks were tear-stained once more. “They’re going to come here in the next day or two. They just need to let their jobs know, and tell Lance’s siblings to stay at home for now.”

Hunk had barely sat down when a doctor came into the room. Pidge shot up from her chair, eyes wide and hopeful. “Is he alive?”

“Yes, he is alive. However, the bullet had lodged into his spine. And while we can’t be completely sure until he’s more stable, we’re quite certain that it will be likely he won’t be able to walk again.” The doctor explained.

Pidge nodded, running forward and hugging the doctor tightly. “As long as he’s alive, I don’t care! Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

The doctor awkwardly patted her shoulder until Shiro could pry Pidge away from the man. He thanked the doctor himself and moved Pidge back to her chair. “When can we see him?”

“Well, only family is allowed at the moment, but he should be moved to a room shortly. I’ll have a nurse come get you when it’s time.”

“We’ll also call his parents in the meantime. Thank you again, Doctor Blaytz.”

The doctor made his exit, and Pidge shakily placed her phone into Shiro’s hands, eyes pleading with him. He ruffled her hair gently and took the phone, contacting Pidge’s parents if they would answer. Pidge slumped in her chair and let out a shaky sob. “Thank you, Keith.”

“I didn’t really do anything. If anything, I should be thanking Matt, since he saved my life.” Keith mumbled.

Pidge gave a shaky sob. “I know, but you still found him. You still brought him back to me. Brought him home.”

Keith gave her the best soft smile he could muster, but even then it seemed forced. Pidge picked up on it, but didn’t say anything. They all knew Keith was hurting, that he was still stuck in the uncertainty of what would happen with Lance for now. No one would be able to rest easy until they knew for certain the fate of all those affected by Zarkon’s gross experiment, especially Lance.

Shiro came back, eyes rimmed red. “Your parents will be here in a few hours. Your mom is so upset that you got yourself involved in something dangerous Pidge, and you too Keith, but she’s beyond happy we’re all alive. But be prepared for a lecture.”

Pidge let out a broken laugh, something that finally sounded remotely happy. Shiro gave her back the phone, and they waited patiently for news that Pidge could see her brother again. Keith was nodding off, trying not to slip into slumber lest he fall out of his chair, but lacking the willpower to really stop himself.

He must have dozed slightly, because Shiro shook him awake gently. “Hey, they’re just taking Pidge to see Matt now. Coran is going to drive us and Hunk back to the safe house and Allura is going to stay here.”

“Okay.” Keith got up slowly, wincing at the sharp pain.

Shiro held onto him, giving him support. “They gave me pain meds for you. Need to take them with food though, so we’ll eat when we’re back, and then you need sleep.”

“Yes mom.”

Shiro frowned. “Speaking of...do you want me to-”

“No,” Keith said warily. “Don’t call your mother.”

Shiro sighed, but agreed nonetheless. They met Coran and Hunk in the lobby and headed back to the safe house. Keith could barely keep his eyes open long enough to choke down some food and his pills. He didn’t even remember getting into bed, just faded at the kitchen table; Flashes if both the android Lance and real Lance passed before his eyes.  


* * *

The next morning they all went back to the hospital. As expected, Keith got a scolding from Colleen Holt, followed by the longest hug of his life; tears included. Allura had explained everything to the Holts, leaving nothing out. They were grateful for her help, and offered to compensate her for her time for finding her son. She said it was completely unnecessary, since finding Matt just happened to intersect with an on-going investigation; Lance’s parents had already paid her off completely for finding their son.

Matt was in an induced coma still, and Pidge hadn’t left his side. Their parents would try and coax her to get up and get some food, but she wouldn’t budge. “Not until Matt wakes up,” is what she would keep repeating. They didn’t push, bringing her meals. The only time she left his side was to quickly run to the washroom, and that was only when the doctors made her leave for a moment so they could check Matt over.

While they waited for Matt to regain consciousness, they were in constant contact with Kolivan about the status of the victims. The top scientist in the field had gone missing years ago, and talking with a few more of the stable kidnapped scientists let them know that Zarkon had killed the man about a year ago-once he had finished building all the pods and teaching another his work. Unfortunately that person was Matt, and no one else knew exactly how to deal with all the pieces. So they couldn’t do much either than monitor the people in the pods, and wait until Matt was stable.

It seemed like forever until that moment happened. Keith had been resting at the safe house when he got the call from Hunk. Shiro had gone back to work, and would come as soon as he could; thankfully his work partner was understanding. It still hurt to move much, but Allura had told Hunk she would personally fetch Keith on her way; even though it was extremely out of her way.

Pidge was sobbing on her brother’s chest when they arrived, calling him all amount of stupid for getting a bullet in the back, and not leaving her any clues before he was taken. Matt was apologizing, stroking her hair gently. Matt perked up when the others entered the room, only deflating some when he noticed the missing presence of his best friend. “Shiro will be here as soon as he can. Don’t worry.”

Matt smiled at Keith. “Well, I’m still glad to see you’re mostly in once piece. Pidge said you were fine, but I’m glad to see it for myself.”

“Yeah well, wouldn’t be if not for you. I can’t thank you enough.” Keith pulled up a chair beside him.

Matt laughed, a little weak. “I should be thanking you.”

“I didn’t take a bullet for you, Matt.”

Matt looked like he wanted to protest but the door opened and Kolivan entered, along with another officer and the psychiatrist that had spoken to Keith. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but we must speak with Mr. Holt as soon as possible.”

Pidge scowled at Kolivan, ready to tell him off for jumping on questioning her brother so soon, but Matt just messed up her hair. “No problem. As long as my sister can stay.”

Kolivan sighed but nodded. “But everyone else has to leave for now.”

No one argued, and left to wait in the small waiting room while Kolivan spoke with Matt. The entire time they were waiting, no one spoke to each other. Hunk and Keith spent the majority Of the time on their phones, and Allura and Coran read newspapers. The entire talk took just over an hour, which seemed to drag on and on for all of them. 

Kolivan didn't come see them, sending his officer and the psychiatrist instead. “Chief Kolivan is taking the information Matt gave us to the cryo-scientists we were able to get. We should be able to start getting all the victims out safely now. The headband was our biggest concern, and thankfully Mr. Holt was the one who created it.”

“Will they be taken here?” Hunk asked.

“Yes, we’ve secured a private wing. However, it won't be open to just anyone, so you will all need access cards once everyone has been transferred.” The officer replied coolly. “Now if you’ll excuse me, Doctor Trigel will fill you in on the situation with your friend. I need to head back and take care of paperwork.”

He left with a sharp turn, not waiting for any of them to respond. The small psychiatrist looked a little tired for a moment, but turned a gentle smile to them. “While Mr. Holt is handling things quite well, he does have a small case of PTSD. I recommend no loud noises, be very careful when opening and closing doors as well, and try not to raise your voice too much.”

Her smiled turned a little sad. “Unfortunately, he did lapse into a bit of a fit while speaking to the officers, and I think it’s best if he doesn’t receive so much company all at once again. His sister is calming him down, but I think for today that should be it.”

“My brother is coming here soon...they’re best friends.” Keith interjected, not really wanting to call Shiro and tell him not to bother coming to the hospital.

“Is his name Takashi?” Keith nodded. “Well, Matt was asking from him right after his fit. So, I will allow him to go in. But no one else, understand?”

“We understand. Thank you, Doctor.” Allura replied warmly.

The doctor thanked them and headed off. Keith huffed and slunk back into his chair. “I’ll wait for my brother here. You guys don’t have to stay.”

Hunk was ready to head out, needing to drop off some physical resumes for jobs since he was planning on sticking around for who knows how long until things were sorted out with Lance. Coran went with him, offering to drive him around to varying restaurants in the area, leaving Keith with Allura. “You can go too, Allura. I’m alright by myself.”

“I know you are, Keith. But I wanted to talk with you a little bit.”

Keith sighed, not really in the mood to talk about anything. “About what?”

“Well, I’d first like to thank you. Without your help, we never would have managed to nail Zarkon for all his foul deeds. We have it on record that he admitted to killing my father,” Her voice cracked ever so slightly. “He admitted to kidnapping, assault, and running an illegal sex-droid prostitution ring! And we have it all! I _never_ thought I would be able to get the justice my father deserved. So for that, for risking your own life, I thank you.”

“I don’t know why everyone keeps thanking _me_!” Keith snapped. “I get that I risked my life and everything, but I am not the only person who would have done that! You went undercover too! It could have just as easily been you being taken by Zarkon.”

“Yes, it very well could have, but it wasn’t. We’re all grateful, which is why people keep thanking you. You helped so many people, putting your own life in jeopardy, and for that you need to accept their thanks.”

“Alright. Is that all? You just want me to accept your thanks? Thanks accepted then.”

Allura rolled her eyes. “That’s part of it. The other part I’m now debating if I should even bring up.”

“Which is?” Keith didn’t want long conversations or guessing games. He wanted the straight point and then silence.

Allura pulled out a stack of papers from her briefcase. “Well, I was going to ask if you had any interest in detective work.”

Keith snapped his eyes to Allura, now giving her his full attention. “What?”

“My business was already doing extremely well before all this, and I can only imagine the surge that will happen once all of this is released to the press. It may be a bit more than Coran and I can handle ourselves.”

“What are you saying? You want _me_ to help?”

“No, I’m asking if you would be interested in working with me. As part of a team. It doesn’t have to be for a long time, nor does it have to be your end goal. But you’re smart, and you show the drive that it takes to do this job. With a little more training, I think you’d make a fine detective.”

Keith sat there stunned, taking everything Allura had said in. Before he could respond, Shiro whipped around the corner, a little out of breath and hair slightly disheveled. He took a look at Allura and Keith, face dropping into something akin to disappointment. “Are we not allowed to see him?”

“You are,” Allura answered cheerily. “He was asking for you. Pidge is with him right now, but they will only let you in currently.”

Shiro nodded, already heading down the hall with nothing more than a muttered thanks. Allura turned her attention back to Keith. “I looked into you. You had good grades, were top of our classes and described as a quick-learner. I know you’ve got a bit of a temper, and you’re slightly impulsive, but your instincts are perfect for this job. At least until you think you’re ready to go back to school.”

Keith furrowed his brow. “I don’t understand. You want me to be a detective...but you also want me to go back to school?”

“Exactly! Work with me, help bring down the workload Coran and I usually have. Get paid doing something you’re naturally good at; and paid a lot more than being a dishwasher, might I add. Eventually save up, and maybe go back to school to continue your studies in archaeology.”

Keith gaped at her, unable to even think of what to say next. He didn’t know whether he should accept or decline. His head wasn’t in a great place to start with, and now the added offer of a job was only muddling things for him. Allura seemed to pick up on it, handing Keith the stack of papers before standing up. “Those are the forms you need to fill out if you choose to accept my offer. There will be more, if you accept, but this would be the start. Just think about it, will you?”

“I-okay. I will. Thank you.”

Allura smiled, and headed off herself. Keith was left alone, not sure if he should wait for Shiro or just go back to the safe house. He supposed he should, to at least pack up his things so he could at least think about going back to his own apartment. The townhouse was nice, but it wasn’t his; not that his place was really had all that much to begin with. At the same time, he wondered if he would even be able to go back to his apartment. All the memories he had with Chance, all the private moments that they shared together in that apartment, might be too much to handle.

He was just going to leave when Pidge entered the waiting room, looking a little disgruntled. “Matt kicked me out.” She stated grumpily.

“Well you have been with him since he came out of surgery. I’m sure that you can go right back soon.”

Pidge huffed and dropped into the chair beside him. “He only kicked me out because Shiro started crying, and he was going to cry, and I don’t think he wanted me to see him cry twice within half an hour.”

Keith knew he should probably be concerned that Shiro was crying, but he wasn’t. Matt and Shiro were best friends and they hadn’t seen each other for so long. And in that time, they had both experienced trauma like people wouldn’t believe.  Matt didn’t know Shiro had lost an arm yet, nor did Shiro really know the full extent of what happened to Matt; although Keith wasn’t sure Matt would even tell him all of it.

Shiro and Matt spent the next two hours together, until Matt’s parents came back to check on him. By then, Pidge had fallen asleep on the chair, and Keith was near asleep himself. Shiro shuffled in, waking Pidge gently to let her know Matt asked for her to come back. She left in a flash, and Keith silently followed Shiro back to his vehicle, noting the red rim around his brother’s eyes and choosing not to talk about it.

Nothing was said until they were in the privacy of the SUV. “Matt said as soon as he was able, he was going to get to work fixing up my arm with Pidge. This one is good, but it needs a bit of tweaking apparently. It will stop the shorting problem.”

“That’s great,” Keith glanced at Shiro to watch his face. “You okay?”

Shiro took in a shuddery breath. “I never thought I would see him again. He didn’t think he’d ever get to see me again either, or anyone he cares for really.” Shiro shot him a small smile. “But don’t worry, I gave him hell from both of us about being reckless, and also thanked him profusely for saving your life.”

“Is he…?”

“Paralyzed? Yeah, the doctors and he are positive without having to do tests. He can’t feel anything from his waist down. Can’t move his legs, or his toes. Surprisingly he’s alright with that. Already talking about getting an electric wheelchair that will let him go up stairs, and then making it better.”

Keith laughed, something that was actually genuine for the first time in a long time. “Yeah, sounds like Matt.”  
  


* * *

It took two days before all the victims of Zarkon’s plot were successfully removed and taken to the hospital. The very first taken, a young girl by the name of Florona, didn’t make the transfer. Her body just shut down as soon as they took her out of the pod, mind unable to catch up with reality and sending her body into shock before they even got her out of the building. They all waited with baited breath to hear if anyone else passed away, or if it was just going to be the one. There was a close call with Auxia, but they managed to revive her. When it was Lance’s turn finally, they were all relieved to hear there had been no problems. However, all the patients were in comas, and not a single doctor could tell how long until they came out of it. On top of that, none of them were allowed to see any of them yet, not even Lance’s own parents, who had come in from out of state as soon as they were able.

Keith was introduced to both of them by Hunk, noting that Lance got his height from his father, his kindness from his mother, and they both looked a lot older that he would have imagined; and Hunk commented privately that it looked like they aged ten years in the last three years, just from the stress of not knowing where their youngest son was. They were both polite, his mother outrageously so. They thanked everyone for what they did, even taking time to thank Matt for helping in track down their son. Both had been filled in on the finer details about what happened, just in case Lance had any lasting trauma from it all they could at least understand to a point.

Sadly, they were unable to stay for long, needing to get back to their jobs soon and let their other children know what was happening so they didn’t storm the hospital. Hunk was left in charge of Lance’s overall care if he woke up before they could come back. Hunk promised to let them know every little detail every day to keep them in the loop.

Hunk had found a job as a chef, and they were already begging him to work for them permanently, not just for a month or two. He was no longer staying with Allura, getting access to Lance’s previous apartment to stay in. He knew Lance wouldn’t mind, and it needed a hell of a lot of cleaning up since it had been abandoned for over a year. They had found that the lease has been taken care of in cash by Lotor just after he kidnapped Lance, and it had been left untouched ever since then. Keith had been invited to see the place, but he declined.

He had moved back to his own apartment for the time being, but the memories he had were haunting. He’d wake up in the middle of the night and swear he saw glowing blue eyes on the couch. Nothing was there of course, but it always felt so real.

A week turned into two, and still no changes. At two weeks, the doctors deemed them stable to visit. Allura wanted to look at everyone, sending each patient a small bouquet of flowers to brighten up the otherwise dreary rooms. Most were sharing, but a few had their own separate rooms, Lance being one of those few. She took time with each patient the first day they were allowed, telling them that they were safe now and it was okay to wake up. Matt had wanted to go, but after seeing the first patient, he just couldn’t handle it, so was promptly returned to his room.

Keith knew he should visit the other people, since he helped save them too, but his only focus was on Lance. He stood outside the closed door for what felt like an hour before mustering up the courage to go inside the room. Hunk was already there, looking like he had cried himself to sleep, head laying on Lance’s hospital bed and hand gently on one of Lance’s. Keith felt bad for disturbing, and nearly turned around to head back, but Hunk woke up and motioned for him to come over.

Lance looked a little better than when they had found him in the pods. His foot however, was now in a cast, something that looked too new to have been in the pod with him. Keith shot a concerned looked to Hunk, who gave him a sad look. “His ankle didn’t heal right, from before he was taken. Lotor must have removed the cast before Lance went into the pod. The doctors had to rebreak it.”

Keith nodded slowly, pulling up a chair beside Hunk and sitting down at Lance’s bedside. The silence was uncomfortable, making Keith want to leave, but every time he looked at Lance he knew he just couldn’t. All the feelings he had been trying to hold back came crashing down around him, and before he knew it Hunk had pulled him into a one-armed hug, telling him not to cry because Lance was going to be okay; Keith hadn’t even noticed he was crying.  
  


* * *

A month passed in the blink of an eye. Keith had moved out of his apartment, unable to handle living there anymore, and was currently staying in the guest room Hunk once had at Allura’s place. He had accepted her offer to train to be a private detective, and found it easier just to stay in the same building as where he worked.

Allura hadn’t been kidding when she was talking about the amount of work they had piled up, nor was she joking about the surge in business they had after the news story dropped about the foul game Zarkon was running. Both Zarkon and Lotor were locked away, and the trial was set in another few month. However, due to all the evidence that they had received it would be impossible to weasel their way out of a hefty jail sentence. More evidence about evil deeds surfaced once the police were able to conduct a more thorough investigation, including a ledger of all the people who had bought a sex droid.

All of the android bodies had been rounded up and disposed of in secret, and all of Matt’s research burned. He was more than happy to dispose of it all, wanting to be rid of anything that could let another person make either the android, or the headgear. A few military men had asked him for the headgear once the story came out, but he refused their offer as it wasn’t something he thought any human should have to deal with. He explained it to Pidge, who then dumbed it down to the rest of them. The device connected to a large cord, which connected to a supercomputer. There, the computers had access to the parts of the victims’ brains that gave emotions, speech, and any other human characteristics. It blocked all memory, and the program between the chips in the androids and the computers altered what and how much emotions were allowed to go through, as well as amplified their obedience. Matt still didn’t know what happened with Lance, whether it was a system crash on the computer or in the chip itself, but he was grateful for it either way.

One dreary late afternoon, Keith was finishing up some paperwork for Allura about a string of lawyers cheating on their partners, when he received a call from Hunk. “He’s awake! The doctors are with him now, but he’s awake!”

“I’ll be right there.” Keith managed to force out before ending the call and booking it out of the office. He shouted to Coran about what was going on, to let Allura know, before grabbing his helmet and jumping on his motorcycle. He had gotten his licence prior to all this, but had never been able to afford one before working for Allura. It made trips to and from the hospital that much more bearable.

He definitely broke a few speed limits, weaving in and out of traffic to get to the hospital sooner. Keith all but flew off his bike as soon as it was parked, rushing into the hospital and running up the stairs to the fourth floor. He showed the guards his pass, and was let in without question.

Lance wasn’t the first to wake up, but the other six were so shaken by the events that they could barely remember that none of them were up to talking to anyone just yet. Allura had tried to give them some comfort, but nothing helped; they just wanted to be left alone.

Keith had probably been told not to run in the halls a few times, but it fell on deaf ears. He all but collided with the closed door, Hunk nowhere in sight, meaning he was probably back in the room. As soon as he touched the door handle, he froze. Going into that room was walking in uncertainty. He didn’t know if Lance would remember, or if he would only remember some bits like the others had. It was hard to tell, if he did remember anything, what those fragments would even be.

He could hear talking, and steeled himself to knock on the door. He would never know what would happen until he went in. “Come in…”

Keith took a deep breath, and opened the door. Lance’s blue eyes staring at him were the very first thing his eyes caught. They weren’t as bright as the android’s, and definitely more real, but they were no less stunning. The few shaky steps closer he took, the bluer they got; like the ocean in a storm. Lance watched him move closer, not doing anything else but stare.

“Um, do I know you?” The voice was soft, and slightly hoarse from disuse.

Keith’s heart sank, and he took a few steps back, shaking his head and dropping his face; willing away the tears threatening to spill. He knew it would have too good to be true. That Lance couldn’t remember him, and maybe he didn’t want to. Hunk was beside him with a hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I tried to call...but you didn’t answer. He doesn’t remember anything.”

Keith nodded, backing away. “No it’s okay. I expected it.”

Lance was looking between the curiously,obviously not totally understanding why there was a complete stranger in his room, and why Hunk was trying to comfort him. Keith turned his attention back to Lance. “I’m Keith. I’m one of the people who helped rescue you.”

“Rescue me? From what? I just broke my ankle.”

Hunk opened his mouth to try and stop Keith, but was too late. “No, you were a victim of a twisted experiment, run by that psycho Lotor and his father.”

Lance’s expression scrunched up, like he was trying to remember. “Lotor...I remember him...and he said he’d take care of me...and that’s all I remember. Sorry? But from the sounds of it, doesn’t seem like I want to remember.”

“No, I guess you wouldn’t.” Keith replied sadly.

“Well uh, thanks for saving me from-,” Lance’s vision seemed to tunnel, almost like when Chance was losing himself. The heart rate on the monitors spiked tremendously, and Lance started breathing quickly. “White room, cold. Oh, god, what did he do to me?!”

Lance broke off into a babble of Spanish that was too fast and quiet for Keith to even try and pick up. Hunk tried to calm his friend down, but to no avail. Doctors rushed in and kicked them out of the room, sedating Lance to get him to calm down. Hunk pulled Keith into a private waiting room, looking frustrated. “You can’t tell him any of that! Doctor Trigel said that his mind was in a very sensitive place right now, and we can’t talk to him about _anything_ that happened!”

“Well why didn’t you tell me that right away!?” Keith snapped, hurting that he had caused unnecessary pain for Lance.

“I tried! But you just ran your mouth before I could stop you!”

Keith deflated. “I’m sorry. I just...I don’t know what I was thinking.”

“Clearly you weren’t!” Hunk huffed, before scrubbing his face with his hands. “He will be told about the situation slowly, but for now we need to keep quiet about the whole ordeal.”

“Okay.” Keith mumbled.

He didn’t stick around long after that, turning and leaving the hospital just as quickly as he came. He didn’t even make it home, stopping at a nearby park, before breaking down completely. Every bit of hope his friends and family had instilled in him, completely dashed in five words. What’s more, he had hurt Lance without intending too. Now, Lance may not want him to come back ever again, lest he say something stupid again.

Shiro had found him, after five hours of moping the the park. He had apparently already been to the hospital and filled in by Hunk about what had gone on. Shiro sat with Keith for a while, telling him he didn’t mean any harm and that Hunk knew that; so Lance probably would too once he regained consciousness. “And Allura wants us all to meet at the hospital tomorrow, to introduce ourselves to Lance officially. It was supposed to happen in a few days, but he’ll probably remember he was rescued from something far greater than a broken ankle, so we’re going to do it now.”

Keith just nodded numbly, not wanting to move now, let alone go anywhere the next day. It took nearly twenty minutes of persuasion to get Keith back on his feet, and ten minutes more to get on his bike and go get some rest. Shiro followed him of course, but didn’t come inside. Keith kind of wished he had, but either way, he didn’t get much rest.  


* * *

The next day they were all crammed into Lance’s hospital room, including Pidge but excluding her brother who still didn’t handle seeing the victims well. He seemed a lot better today, a little more chipper. He had shot a few pick-up lines at Allura as soon as she walked in the door, and Keith had honestly never seen Hunk smile brighter; apparently that was just a classic Lance move if he saw someone pretty.

They kept the introductions brief, all shaking Lance’s hand as they did. Keith went last, still beyond heartbroken and upset about the day prior. Lance, however, didn’t seem wary of Keith when he approached. “Uh, sorry about yesterday. I’m Keith...Kogane.”

Lance took his hand, and Keith couldn’t get over how warm he was; like a tiny sun hiding inside a human body. He probably held on for too long, as there was an awkward cough from his side, prompting him to let go. Lance didn’t seem fazed. He smiled brightly. “Well, nice to properly meet you Keith!”

Keith gave the best smile he could. It wasn’t hard; Lance’s smiles were infectious. “It’s nice to properly meet you too.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Maybe not what you were expecting, or maybe it was!
> 
> Also, shame on people who thought I would ever kill Matt! We have barely even seen him yet and I love him so much. I love both the Holts, so so much (Pidge is actually my fave character in the whole show)
> 
> Speaking of, while I didn't intend to have any Shatt in here at all (That's what my cat cafe Au is for), if you wan to read that whole hospital bit as Shatt, you go right ahead!! 
> 
> As always, comments and kudos are always appreciated!! and you can come yell about these two at me (with me) on tumblr @ raequaza
> 
> Until next time, for the final chapter!


	15. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well here we are, the final chapter. There has been a lot of tweaking to this chapter to get it right , which is why it took so long.
> 
> I'd like to give a huge thanks to everyone who has commented, kudoed, or even just stuck with this and continued reading. 
> 
> This has been a huge labour of love and has taken some detours from my original outlines which I personally think worked better.
> 
> Thank you to my beta, callmesinpai, for all her tireless work!
> 
> Without further delay, please enjoy the last chapter

Everything seemed to drag in the months following Lance’s awakening. The other victims were now awake, and while most were quite mentally unstable, a few remembered bits and pieces both from their life before and their life as an android. It was enough to help in the trial against the Galra family. The testimonies from the victims, as well as Keith and the others and the evidence the found, was enough to give them a life sentence each; Zarkon received two life sentences for murdering Alfor, which pleased Allura greatly. 

Things with Lance were...touchy, to say the least. After their first official meeting, Lance had an emotional breakdown and didn't want anyone near him for a while, including Hunk. It was hard for them all, and it became harder when Lance’s parents showed up. Keith hadn't been there, but Hunk had, and he said he could hear Lance screaming for his parents to leave and never come back. They were heartbroken, but refused to give up, understanding that their son was still hurting from before with an added trauma now. 

It took nearly three weeks before Lance let anyone come see him, and it was only Hunk allowed. It hurt Keith a bit, but he knew that he couldn't dwell. So he focused on work, taking extra cases to distract himself from everything. Hunk gave them all updates on Lance’s condition. He was apparently having pretty severe night terrors, waking up in hysterics each time. He didn't remember what they were about, or so he told Hunk, but he could tell they bothered Lance tremendously. 

It was another month after that before Lance felt okay enough to see other people. Keith wanted to go, but he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Shiro told him Lance was looking a lot better, that he joked often and laughed loudly. He had asked once where Keith had been, why he never showed up, and Shiro had lied and said Keith was busy with work. He knew why it was hard for Keith to go, and he wasn't going to push it. 

Matt had been released from the hospital around that time, already rambling to Pidge about her helping him upgrade his already advanced wheelchair, and how they were going to make Shiro’s arm better. They were going to live together above the shop, planning on working together as well. Pidge was over the moon about the entire thing, cleaning up the entire space so that they could both fit in there. She has mentioned Matt had muttered something about bionic legs in his sleep, so that might be a plan for their future in between jobs. Working alongside her brother was all she ever wanted, and now it was her reality. 

Hunk was the one to convince Lance that he needed to talk to his parents. That they were the ones who had paid both Hunk and Allura to find him. They regretted freaking out on him that day when he was seventeen, how they weren't even upset he liked both genders after thinking about it for a long while; because ultimately it really didn't matter. In the end, they just wanted him to be happy. Lance didn't believe Hunk, but finally let his parents see him anyway. And Hunk had been telling him the truth, as he always did. They cried, they laughed and things were smoothed over. Lance’s parents promised they would bring his siblings and their children with them when they came back the next weekend; they were disheartened they couldn't stay all the time, but they had to work to pay bills. 

Another month passed, and Lance was finally released from the hospital. Hunk was wary about him going back to his apartment, but everything seemed fine. Lance thanked Hunk for looking after his place for him, not even mad Hunk had been living here while he was in the hospital. They stayed together, Hunk crashing on the couch to let Lance have his bedroom back. Hunk still asked if Keith wanted to see Lance, as Lance was still asking if he was busy. Keith couldn’t do it, still needing a bit of time to get over the heartache before he tried again. He had promised he wouldn't lose Lance ever again, that he would try to be with him no matter what, but he needed to steel his resolve to do that. He wasn't expecting the blow that Lance couldn't remember him to affect him so much, as he knew it was a possibility, but he couldn't deny he was still hurting. He had held out so much hope that despite everything, Lance would be able to remember how he felt. Now, Keith was questioning if Lance’s feelings had been just the program; even Matt couldn't promise if the android’s feelings were artificial or not, as they were designed to be able to have deep attachments, but he wasn't positive on the extent. 

Just when Keith has decided to man up and actually see Lance, he got a phone call from Hunk. “You guys are what?!” 

“Moving back home,” Hunk said gently. “Lance has been away from his family for so long, and so have I. We both miss home, and both his family and I think it's best for Lance if he’s away from Altea. To let him heal more, you know?” 

“Yeah. I get it. When are you leaving?” Keith slumped in his office chair. 

“In a week. Lance started packing like two days ago. His parents have hired a truck to bring all this things, and then we’ll be flying out to our hometown.” Hunk paused. “We’re going to be there at one, then though the plane doesn't leave until two. So you think you can make it?” 

Keith paused, The resolve he had worked hard to build back up crumbling. “I’ll try.” 

“Well, I hope you can. We’ve all told him a few things we had to do to save him, especially you, and he was just in awe that you would do those things for him. For basically a stranger.” Keith could hear the softness in his voice. 

Keith knew he was the only one who was keeping his distance at this point. Even Matt had come by to meet Lance officially. It went surprisingly well, according to Pidge, as Lance couldn't remember Matt at all and Matt had been talking with Doctor Trigel which helped ease his guilt for being involved-even though it was involuntarily. 

The day Lance and Hunk were supposed to leave, Keith almost didn’t go. And when he did decide he should go, he almost didn’t make it due to an accident on the highway. He was running into the airport as soon as he parked his bike, five minutes left for him to find the group. He spotted Shiro first, and slowed down to a job before he collided with someone. He had barely made it to the group when he was called to. “Hey! You made it!” 

Keith took in a breath, seeing Lance for the first time since the hospital. He looked more than amazing. Dressed in so many different colours that it was nearly dizzying, and a jacket that looked a lot like the one Keith had picked up from him, Lance was smiling and waving at Keith drew nearer. Everyone seemed to part, letting Keith get closer to Lance and Hunk. 

Keith was anxious, not really knowing what to say or do now that he was here. He still longed to stay by Lance’s side, but knew that he had to let him go for him to have a chance at happiness. He could feel the emotion choking him, but he wasn’t going to let himself cry. “Sorry I'm late. Traffic.” 

Lance clasped a hand on Keith’s shoulder, still smiling. “Well, glad you made it anyway! I really wanted to say goodbye to everyone, especially you. You did so much for me...but I only saw you twice.” 

Keith nodded, finding it hard to look Lance in the eye. “I..I’m sorry. Got busy.” 

Lance was staring at him, eyes seeming to bore into Keith. Then he was being pulled into a hug. “It’s okay...I know everything was probably really rough on you, but I seriously can't thank you enough for everything that you did. Even though I don’t remember you, and even though I don't know the full extent of what happened, I’m eternally grateful. I owe you my life!” 

Keith’s breath hitched as soon as Lance’s arms had wrapped around him. He shakily returned the hug, fighting the urge to pull Lance even closer and beg him to stay. “You don’t owe me anything. Just...be happy. Live your life, and don’t dwell on all the bad shit that happened here.” 

Lance squeezed him a little tighter before letting go, still incredibly close. He gave Keith a bleary eyed smile. “I wish I could have spent more time with you. There's just something about you...I can't quite explain it….is that weird?” 

“No. It’s not weird at all.” Keith choked out. 

He looked at Lance properly, getting lost on the swirling emotions behind his eyes. Before he could stop himself, he was leaning forward. Lance didn't move to pull away, not did he move forward. Part of Keith was screaming at himself to stop now, but the louder part just wasn't listening. 

He might have kissed him, had the intercom not come on just then and called for anyone on flight 235 to make sure they’re checked in. Hunk sighed off to the side. “Lance that’s us. We have to go ” 

Keith pulled back, disappointed in both the interruption and himself. He stepped away, trying not to let his feelings show too much on his face. “Have a good flight.” 

“Thanks...and uh, if you’re ever on the other coast, maybe give me...I mean Hunk, a call?” 

Hunk was pulling Lance away, shooting them all an apologetic smile. Keith had to raise his voice, just to make sure Lance could hear him. “I will! I promise!!” 

And then they were lost in the crowd of other passengers. Keith deflated as soon as he couldn’t see them, slumping his shoulders and closing his eyes. Shiro placed his non-mechanical hand on Keith’s head, saying nothing, but just being there for comfort. After a few minutes he took a deep breath in then out and opened his eyes. His vision was slightly watery, but he furiously wiped away any moisture from his eyes before it got too bad. He didn't say anything to the group, and no one stopped him when he left. He needed some time away from everyone right now, and he hoped they all understood. 

Keith knew he was going to be hurting for a while. He had never been so emotionally attached to someone before. Maybe this really was what love felt like, and if it was, then it sucked more than anything Keith had felt before. It was a physical ache all the way to his core. He wanted nothing more than to run back into the airport, past security and back into Lance’s arms. He’d beg him to stay, or ask to come with him, but deep down he knew that wasn’t a good idea. Lance needed time away to heal, and Keith needed time to hopefully not feel so...different. He had never been needy, never been clingy, but everything was always difference with Lance. It scared him how much he had changed, and maybe he needed to get back to himself more. It may take months, or even years, but until he felt like himself again, he swore he wouldn’t go after Lance. 

Until then though, he was going to drive up to the forest and have himself a nice cry by the river alone.

* * *

  
The rain had started out as a light drizzle in the morning, turning into a torrential downpour later in the evening. As it was, it was nearly midnight, and the rain was not letting up. Keith was walking from work to his destination. Things had gone great today, another case closed and another client pleased with their work. 

Keith had been working for Allura for about a year and half now, and he didn’t think he could love it as much as he did. He almost didn’t want to leave, but every time a new artifact made it’s way inside the historical society, it reminded him of his original goals. Allura and Coran hadn’t help matters by slipping the occasional pamphlet for the university into his paperwork every few months. Or maybe it had helped in the long run, as he had been readmitted to the university under the highest recommendation from Coran and allowed to continue his studies come the next semester. 

He also moved into a new apartment. Closer to work and the university, and in a way nicer building as it was in the nicer part of town. He sort of felt bad for leaving his other building, since his landlord was such a nice old man, but the new building was a lot more convenient and the rent was basically the same. There was only a slight increase that Keith didn't even notice, and that was mainly due to all the new appliances in the suite and being able to access the indoor pool that was on the ground floor. And of course Shiro loved it because it had a proper balcony and fire escapes; plus it wasn’t in an area where Shiro had to worry about his SUV getting stolen. 

He was also allowed to have pets in his new place, and adopted a gorgeous cat from the shelter with shocking blue eyes. Her name was Tia, and she was rambunctious as hell while still being overly affectionate. It was hard to stay mad at her when she broke something. He spoiled her rotten, sparing no expense on anything from food to toys. The shelter had told him she had been abused by her first owners, and didn’t take to people well because of it. That Keith would be her fifth owner in the three years that Tia had been alive, and it was implied that if Keith brought her back, they might just have to put her down. Which was definitely not okay in Keith’s books, but thankfully it wasn't something he had to worry about. He did some reading on how to take care of cats like Tia, and after two months, he had that cat curled in his lap at every opportunity. 

For a while, after Lance left, he sort of neglected his friend's. He still went to work, and did a great job, but he didn't talk with people outside of that. It was Matt who was the one to break him out of his shell, whining that he hadn't seen Keith in years and now Keith was being a brat and hiding away. Immediate guilt overtook him, and he easily went with Matt when the older boy suggested he come over to see the final touches on Shiro’s new arm. A new arm, which was actually two new arms. “I wasn't sure what he’s prefer. And he told be anything would already be so much and he would love it no matter what. Sooo….” 

“So he got carried away,” Pidge finished, rolling her eyes and she took a small screwdriver to adjust something on the arm she was working on. 

The one on Pidge’s work bench was white with black accents, matching Shiro’s hair rather well. It looked like it was made out of similar material as his old one, but just polished up a bit more. Pidge had done most of the work on this one, accepting the new suggested adjustments from her brother to make it function better. 

Matt’s personal creation was a little different. Keith had to do a double take on the arm, as it looked so real until he looked inside and saw wires and a metal ring, similar to the one in Pidge’s. It looked like it was covered in the same skin-like material that the androids had been covered with, which made it a little harder to look at if Keith was being honest with himself. Matt rambled on about the technical aspects of the new set-up. It all was very advanced stuff, too advanced for Keith to really understand. But what he did get was how all they needed to do, with their mother’s help, was put a fiberglass ring in what was left in Shiro’s arm and then they could make as many variations of arms that Shiro. wanted. 

Shiro of course had been overwhelmed by it all, and definitely cried a little bit both when he was shown the arms, and then again after his surgery when the life-like one was attached. There was just enough cover between the ring connections that it was virtually impossible to tell that wasn't his real arm. He had cried for a while, thanking the Holts profusely. The best part about the entire set-up was that Shiro could replace the arms himself, and it wouldn't be painful in the slightest if he did. For the most part, as much as he loved the realistic one, he stuck with the metal one when he was out. Nearly everyone in his life currently was used to seeing him with one, and he didn't want the extra questions on how something fake could look so real. 

Everything had been better for him over time, especially his emotions. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about Lance anymore, he did, but the feelings weren’t so overwhelming and much easier to control. Hunk sent him messages each holiday, and occasionally gave him updates on Lance’s health. Once they had gotten home, he had been fine...for a while. The night terrors came and went, and occasionally something would set him off, but other than that he was doing amazingly. Keith had never asked for updates, but he was kind of thankful Hunk just took it upon himself to keep them all in the loop. 

A speeding truck rushing through a puddle startled him out of his thoughts. He was barely able to get out of the way so he didn’t get soaked. He was the genius who decided that he didn’t need an umbrella and the rain would eventually let up, but it definitely hadn’t in the slightest. His riding jacket did little to cover him either, since it was a crop jacket. But it was the only jacket he owned that he liked to wear, and as long as Shiro didn’t see him out in the rain like this, he wouldn’t have any real problems. 

It will be two years since he found Lance once it hits midnight. The first year anniversary had been rough. He had nearly flown to where Lance was, but his friends and family kept him grounded. He ended up going back to the alley where he found Lance, staring at the dumpster and just...remembering. Maybe it was strange, but it helped him in a way. It was where he was on his way to, choosing to walk rather than risk his bike in the rain; and the neighbourhood. 

There was no one on the streets as he neared his old job, everyone taking shelter from the rain instead. It was actually rather peaceful in its own way, either than being fairly cold. The rain always washed away the dirty smell of the streets, and it gave him memories of not so long ago where a certain android would stare out his window as the drops fell onto the ground below. 

The alley was deserted, light in the back barely flickering to give him some source of light. He stood in the mouth of the alley, closing his eyes and recalling that moment where his life changed. Where a simple trip to throw garbage out had taken his life to both the worst and best places, where he found the person who he loved; albeit the sex android version. He remembered the good with Lance, with Chance. On repairing him, on shopping, on watching movies and documentaries together. He avoided remembering the heartbreaking moments, of Chance being taken away and tortured, or the personal pain he endured.

He was so focused on remembered, that it took a few minutes to realize that the rain was no longer falling on him. That there was another presence directly behind him. He whipped around, ready to confront any situation that could show up in the dark alley of the shadier side of town. What he was not prepared for were kind blue eyes, and a warm smile. He stumbled back, out of the range of the umbrella. The tanned boy moved a step forward, covering him once more. “Hi.” 

Keith swallowed. “Lance.” 

“The one and only!” he laughed. “Unless you kept android me around?” 

Keith shook his head, voice shaking. “What are you doing here?” 

Lance raised a brow. “Isn’t it obvious? I came to see you.” 

“No, it’s not obvious! You...you’re _here_! Here where I…” 

“Where you found android me,” Lance finished softly, “I remember.” 

Keith gaped at him. “You remember?!” 

Nothing Hunk had ever told him let him know that Lance remembered anything at all. And frankly, even though Keith missed Lance, even he knew it was probably better that Lance couldn’t remember anything. God knows what Lotor had done to Lance when he was an android, especially prior to Keith finding him. 

“Some things are clearer than others, and some things I try not to remember at all,” Lance answered, stepping forward once more. “But what I remember most is you.” 

Lance reached out with his free hand and gripped one of Keith’s trembling hands. “Like what?” 

“A lot of cryptid documentaries."

Keith stared at Lance, taking in what he had just said, before bursting out laughing. He felt lighter than he had in a very long time. “That’s what you remember!?” 

“Hey man between all the things I could remember, I think Mothman is a much better thing to have in mind,” Lance said with a grin. 

Keith wiped a tear out if his eye. “Yeah, I guess that’s not the worst thing.” 

Lance stepped a little closer, and Keith could slightly feel the warmth of Lance’s breath against his lips. “S’not the only thing I remember.” 

“Oh?” Keith allowed himself to move just a little closer, heart beating wildly. 

Lance nodded, moving to cup Keith’s jaw. Keith’s eyes widened, hopeful. He wasn’t sure who moved first, but cooled lips slid alongside his. He moved his hands, gripping onto Lance’s hips and pulling him closer. This was what he wanted, for so so long. Now that it was finally happening, he couldn’t get enough. Lance seemed to be in a similar situation, deepening their kiss with a passionate fervor. 

Eventually, Lance dropped the umbrella to hold Keith closer, letting the rain soak them through. Neither of them cared, just kissing and kissing until they couldn’t breath. When one of them finally pulled back, their foreheads rested against one another. “Yeah...I definitely remember that.” 

Keith let out a huff of a laugh. He opened his eyes to look directly at Lance. “I love you.” 

Lance groaned. “Aw man, I was gonna say it first! It was going to be super romantic and everything!” 

“Just shut up and kiss me.” 

And he did. They kissed again and again in that dingy alley until they were chilled to the bone and couldn’t bare to be out in the rain anymore. Neither of them knew what the future would bring, where they would go from here. But what they did know, was that their love was anything but artificial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who knows me knows I'm a sucker for happy endings. 
> 
> May not be what people expected, and hopefully no one is too disappointed!!
> 
> Again, thank you so much for all the support! Means a lot to me! 
> 
> Now, I'm off to go write about a cat cafe and three groups of oblivious couples! 
> 
> Thank you


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